Chains of Memories
by Dragon of Courage
Summary: Death have befallen on the toa. One of them, however, is given a chance at life as a human being. Will the toa find the others before someone else does? (TahuXGali)
1. Going Under

Lewa: Bionicle is copywrightowned by LEGObrick. Dragongirl's humanpeople are of her designidea. Dragongirl likes ToaTahu, the firespitter, and ToaKopaka, the snowbrain. She has a hardtough time not thinkingthoughts about them. Har-har.

(The Author's Notes):   
I've like to give thanks to Squaresoft for Chain of Memories, a KH game soon to be released, and for the concept of the 'heart'. I also give the following for inspiration: Final Fantasy, my history teacher, my school, Shaman King, Dan Brown (Author of "the Da Vinci Code"), my friends and their hidden roles in this story, CLAMP, and the music world for their awesome songs.

Any references to California are true, but the school is entirely fictional. :P

Chapter 1 Stats: Revised (x 1)

* * *

Chains of Memories

By Dragon of Courage

**Death, Rebirth**

* * *

A wretched blue figure appeared into dim light emitted by nothingness. The body was in shambles with broken hydraulics and missing chunks of pieces. 

_Cold…it's too cold…_

She was wrapped in heavy pitch-black chains. She was falling, falling forever in the abyss of darkness and insane torture of sadness and loneliness. She was still in shock from her latest defeat. A defeat so drastic, it killed her.

_I-I can't feel anything…_

She was unprepared for this new chaos over her island. She couldn't find the weakness; neither can she rid herself of something that she committed everyday.

"Gali…" A voice echoed.

Her dim yellow eyes opened. Her face was gray for her proud mask was ripped into shredded metal as she was caught in crossfire to defeat this new malice.

"Wha-?" She wheezed. She had not spoken for a long time.

The same voice responded, "Gali…"

"Yes?" Her voice was firm.

A beam of light shot through the darkness and engulfed the mangled body. The pitch-black chains responded by tightening their grips on their prisoner. She gave a cry of pain.

"Oh, Gali. You have suffered so much."

"Mata-Nui?" She queried, barely holding on to her sanity.

"I am no Mata-Nui. Rather of a lesser being, Gali."

"What do you want of me? I must be alone in my sufferings and pain."

"All I ask of you…is for a second chance."

"What? A second chance?" Her eyes flew open in surprise.

"A second chance of living once more…becoming a living being."

"A living being? What is the catch?" Gali knew that in every deal, there was always a consequence.

"You acknowledged the death of your other brethren, right?"

"Yes," she sighed in sadness.

"All I ask of you is to find their souls."

"What? Where?"

"In living world, Gali."

"But-I can't do this alone!"

"You'll have new friends. They will help you." The light shimmer as the darkness started to seep through the beam. Her chains glowed a brilliance of white light and fell to pieces. Butterflies bloomed from the broken chains and fluttered around her as she started to change.

"What's this?" Gali looked at her hand as its twisted blue metal changed into a softer, organic material. The color paled into a semi-tan color. Her arms followed suit in this transformation.

"It is only a mere power of metamorphosis."

She brought her hands to her face as she felt her head growing smaller and softer. Hair fell through the gaps of her formed fingers.

Then the changes stopped.

She opened her eyes and looked at herself. Gali wore a white cloak over her pure white dress. Her aquamarine hair dangled near her hips. She was completely different. The girl had been reincarnated into a whole new creature.

Gali was amused by the fragility of her hands, but her mind was clustered with questions.

"Who am I?"

"You are you, Gali, as a mere human teenager but with great potential."

"…why must I change?"

"The world where your friend's souls are in is not your own."

"But- how?"

"You'll have new friends. They _will_ help you."

Gali smiled at this newfound hope. A butterfly of white radiance landed on her delicate finger and then dispersed into sky blue particles. Suddenly, her body jerked as something rumbled. The seeping darkness broke through the tunnel of light. The voice became urgent as it faded to nothingness.

"Hurry, Gali. The way out of death is receding. You must follow the light and always remember this at any cost…"

The girl broke into a run in panic as the dark swirls shot themselves at the girl. She saw an opening of great brilliance and leaped into it.

"…Your heart is your final weapon."

* * *

Gali woke up, sweating. Delirious, she sat up and looked at her white surroundings. The respirator beeped in its little corner and she was confused. She smelled a scent of sterility dispersed about the room. The girl looked at a mirror positioned at the opposite wall. Her entire hair was aquamarine, with hints of light blonde. Bangs drooped over her unrecognizable face. "What a rather interesting style," she thought. 

Then she peered closer and saw bright eyes, eyes like color of the morning sun and intense as an owl.

"A…hospital?"

Memories of this new life passed through her like a current in the ocean. People. Many people she knew so well. Her memories were mixed feelings. Some expressed joy and some of sorrow, hatred, and loneliness. Gali wondered. _What did she do to deserve such loneliness?_

The memories of this former past were clouded, but then she heard a loud cry echoing in her ear.

…Gali stood on the battlefield. Only she and the toa of fire were left. Her spirit was burden and drained from the earlier deaths of her friends. The atmosphere on Mata-Nui was intense, and her life, friends, everything fell apart like a poor built hut.

She looked onwards at the ominous clouds streaked with blue lightning. The toa of water heard a scream of anguish as the red figure beside her leapt towards the dark mass and shot a massive tornado of raging inferno at it…

"Mata-Nui…" Gali had nearly forgotten her past as the toa. She gazed at her pale, soft hands with long firm fingers, contrasting on the white bed sheets, and sighed, "What did I do to deserve this life."

The scream of anger had haunted her in the afterlife of torture. The anger itself had told her that all morality was lost on her beloved land, only fear and hate thrived there now. She had wondered what had happened to _him_. After she died, he was the last.

Now, she started anew, a new life and a new identity. There was a new quest for her out there. She had to find her comrades. Or die trying.

"My name… is Gali Nubano."

* * *

(-Evanescence) 

…oh giddy… review well.


	2. Ray of Light

Kopaka: No. She doesn't own Bionicle.

Chapter 2 stats: Revised (1x)

* * *

**Chains of Memories  
**Dragon of Courage  
**A New World**

* * *

Gali Nubano stepped out of a brightly colored bus. She was out of the hospital when she suffered a near coma caused by a heat stroke. After her three days of recovery at home, she returned to school. Wearing a blue tank top and dark pants, the girl walked towards the buildings, tying her blue hair into a ponytail. 

The sun was barely peeking over the hills, its ray of light touching the metal rooftops of the buildings.

It was a steady walk up towards the gate. The girl looked around in curiosity at the many different types of trees. A cool breezy wind swept the grounds, picking up dead leaves that fluttered from the sky. Kids around her shivered, laughed, or lulled themselves to sleep. Gali understood, "School is torture. Why do we have zero period?"

"Hey! Gali! Yer back!"

"Eh?" Gali turned around and saw an dark tanned boy running quickly up towards her, carrying his black backpack and an overlarge duffel bag. Brown hair flew this way and that. He's not like any other boys who either gelled or used hairspray on their hair. His height was short, the size of Gali, but bulky.

"Umm… Sorry?" She couldn't recognize him. Maybe it was the coma in which she forgot a few people.

"Oh, Gali," The boy slapped his forehead, brushing away the dark brown bangs, revealing strange ginger eyes. "I almost forgot that ya had that accident. Letme reintroduce myself. Name's Pohatu."

"…" Gali blinked as the boy brought his hand, a sign of old friendship. She brought out hers. "I'm sorry that I forgot, but is your name really Pohatu?"

The boy raised his brow, "Ya can't doubt my name, Gali. I was born a pacific islander. Then I was raised in Australia. I'd got a pretty bad tan there. Then I became a US citizen. End of history lesson."

A mix of joy and sorrow overwhelmed Gali. A feeling that somehow, Pohatu, Toa of Stone, had crossed this dimension, but somehow he was not the Pohatu.

Gali started walking, and the boy followed after. She asked him in a quiet voice, "Have you ever heard of Mata-Nui?"

"Mata-Nui?" Pohatu looked at her for blurting a random question. Then he nodded, "Yeah, I've heard of a storyline about something like Mata-Nui. They called it Bionicle."

"Uhh…" She was lost in her words. Bionicle? A storyline? These questions were confusing her.

"Yeah. It was also a toy line, but then it got really technical. Now, they're actually robots that ya can move just by commanding them. They even got arenas to fight them. I've got this brown one. He's neato. He finishes cleaning my room in ten minutes. But he's awfully small…like this small."

He showed her the height of his toy with his rough hands. It was less than a foot high.

"Oh…" Gali said in interest, but caught sight of her locker. She dialed her number combo on the lock and it clicked. Pohatu was a locker away from hers. The school organized the lockers in alphabetical order and then by grade. Both Gali and Pohatu were sophomores; their last names were Nubano and Nubao. The locker in between them was a mystery.

As both of them slammed their lockers at the same time, there was a muffled cry. Gali heard it first.

"Do you hear that?"

Pohatu bent down, tying his shoes. "Hear wut?"

"That cry." Gali looked around and saw several students meandering the halls. Several of them were chatting and others were sheltering themselves against the frigid west wind.

"Eh? Must have been Nubama. Ever since you've been in the hospital, he's been getting picked on a lot."

Pohatu got up, picked up his books and his large duffel, and walked to the locker next to Gali's. With a kick, the locker shook and the similar yelp seemed to emanate from it.

"Yo, Pohatu here. What's yer combo again?"

"…3…27…49…" answered the locker.

"Alrighty then." His fingers were quick on the dial. As the last number was turned, Pohatu flung the locker opened, revealing a stout young freshman with bangs sticking outwards like a star. His hair was long and blonde with hints of neon green here and there. He looked fairly tall as his shoulders were hunched in the cramped space. The boy looked at Pohatu with yellow-green acute eyes, clutching his blue backpack like a shield.

"Well, mornin' Lewa!"

Lewa peeked outside of his locker and then stepped out. He sheepishly answered, "Hullo."

"Good morning, Lewa," Gali smiled. Even though Lewa is not the happy-go-lucky Lewa she knew a long time ago, she hoped that his true heart would come out soon. Or, maybe he might remember something.

His eyes lit up and saw Gali next to Pohatu.

"Gali! I thought you're dead!"

"Huh?" Gali blinked at the boy. Maybe he remembered.

"I mean, through the heat stroke and all…"

Well, he didn't. Gali smiled, "Oh, its nothing now. The past is the past, I might as well forget about it."

Somehow saying her last statement was ironic to her. She could not help stop thinking about her dead allies standing right in front of her as Homo sapiens…

* * *

… "Lewa died?" asked the white figure, sitting on a chair in a Ta-Koroan hut. 

The crimson toa nodded. Something was consuming him on the inside. His eyes were starting to become dull, as if dying on the inside. Gali saw his fist shaking, trying to fight against whatever was bothering him. His armor lost its shine and his mask was scratched in so many places that she didn't bother to count.

Gali faced Kopaka, the white toa. His head was down, thinking hard about their reality. Already his body was discolored, his whiteness into a more yellowish tint and his gray to a pale color. He was practically worn out from the battles he recently fought… and lost. His lens was broken, and he didn't have time to repair it.

She was concerned about the casualties inflicted by this great power. The unity shattered into useless pieces, like broken glass. The remaining Toa had nothing left to do but sit and wait…

* * *

"Hullo? Earth ta Gali!" Pohatu waved his hand in front of the girl's eyes. 

Gali blinked and realized that she was not in _his_ room anymore. The bell rang, signaling a warning to go to class.

"Huh?" Gali was not accustomed to this strange noise, but she knew that it was not of danger.

"Aw, darn." Lewa picked up his bags, "I gotta get to class. I'll see ya!"

Then he ran off.

Pohatu gave Gali one last look before he heading to the boy's locker room.

"Well, I gotta go, too. I'll see you after school." He waved before dashing off.

She waved back and took a peek in her binder for her schedule. "AP Art?"

* * *

"Well, today, we've should have finished your paintings of still life, but that was surprisingly short. Since I have nothing I can give you today, you've might as well draw or do something, but keep the noise level down." Mr. Jordan gave the good news. 

Gali smiled. _Well, at least I can observe the room for anyone that might be a toa, but what are the chances of that happening?_

She looked around, trying to take in am much information as she could. There were girls dressed in halter-tops and short skirts or tight pants sitting in one corner of the room, chatting about the latest hot guys at school. The boys sitting in front of her were whispering about the stunning football game last night. Several students were dotted everywhere else, either dosing or drawing their random doodles.

She leaned back and let her dreams take her to another world…

* * *

…Gali knocked on the door. It opened, revealing Lewa, saddened. His bright eyes were changing to a darker green color. He shook his head, telling her that it was over with Pohatu. Death was waiting next to him. 

She pleaded, "Please, let me see him before he goes."

Lewa shrunk back into the room, but another voice cried out, "Lewa, please let her talk with Pohatu."

The green armored toa was lost in confusion. He looked over his shoulder, "But Takanu-."

"It is better to let her in instead of never seeing a friend ever again."

Lewa's tall body shrank even smaller as he let the toa of water in…

* * *

"New kid, huh?" Mr. Jordan looked up at a woman of late thirties, dressed in black slacks and a violet blouse. 

"He will attend your class from today until the end of the school year. I would apologize if he is currently sleeping because he had just got back from Hawaii…"

"Naw, Ms. Tuamani. He can't be much of a problem now." He grinned at the lady. She returned the smile and walked out of the room with perfect, delicate grace.

Gali perked up at the phrase. _New kid…_

She looked around the classroom before she busied herself drawing something from her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, a young man of fifteen walked through the front doors to the school. He walked casually down the hall, donning a pair of sunglasses that reflected light from the morning sun. The boy was wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck shirt and black pants. His spiked hair, white as snow, had reversed his dark appearance. The albino was strangely attractive; the early female students trailed their eyes to him, as if he was holding a giant magnet. 

He flicked away his long bangs that trailed to the side of his cheeks. He gave another heave to his large bag, containing hockey gear, and took long, powerful strides to the gym.

The girls sighed as he passed. The boy was well aware of this and became frankly annoyed. Sure he was the top guy on every girl's lists, but this was ridiculous.

"Where is he?" he murmured to absolutely no one but himself. He stopped to take a peek at the clock tower that rose above the school office.

"Zero should end right about…"

The bell ring blared across the speakers.

"…Now."

* * *

The school bell pulled Gali from her deep thoughts and saw the students piling up at the door, attempting to get out at the same time. She looked down at her page and saw horrific images of each toa's death, except for the last one. Gali never knew, but soon she would realize the whole truth. 

She closed the sketchbook and packed it inside her backpack. The girl slung the bag over her shoulder, pulling her long hair from the discomfort that the slightly heavy backpack offered. She left the classroom and turned a corner to the stairs.

* * *

Ms.Tuamani wearily sat on the sofa in the teacher's lounge, drinking her morning coffee. The teacher had soft hazel eyes and auburn hair was wrapped in a bun with frills of hair trailing out of it. 

It is another day at school. Kids, they just drive her crazy. And zero period was just enough for her!

She sighed and looked outside the window. A butterfly fluttered about the window and then flew off.Tuamani smiled, sipping the brown hotliquid.

* * *

The morning flew by well, and Gali was up in spirits by the school's activity. She laughed with her friends, bought snacks, and was well on her way to third period. She looked again in her binder and then was confused. "Japanese 01…?" 

She entered the classroom and the teacher was up and about, chanting "Ohayo!" about the room. The student who entered looked at their weird teacher precariously before they took their seat. The desks were arranged in groups of four that was scattered all over the classrooms.

Gali walked to her seat and sat down. The bell rang again and Mrs. Weiner strode to the front and said, "Today we will learn the use of 'mo'. Will you turn the packet to page 38?"

Gali brought out her papers and faced a boy, a sleeper, tilting his head forward. His face was unknown because of his black hood that covered his head. Once in a while, he bobbed his head up and down, like a bobble head.

Worried that he might get in trouble for sleeping in class, she leaned forward and tapped him on his shoulder. "Wake up."

With a snort, he rubbed sleep from his eyes and yawned, leaning back far into his chair. He didn't have a care in the world that some of the students watched him yawn. The hood from his black sweatshirt fell from his head, revealing shoulder-long blond hair with flame-like patterns at the tips. Stretching his arms, the entire class looked at the boy as the teacher chatted about how she had an experience with the sentence structure of 'mo'.

His eyes still closed, he scratched his neck, revealing earphones hanging on his ears. Then he sneezed.

The teacher turned around, angered that her entire class were ignoring her, "_Nani?! Onamae wa_?!"

The boy opened his calm red eyes, and said in a slur, "_Boku wa Nubava Tahu desu. Doozo Yoroshiku_."

Gali stared.

* * *

Madonna 

-

Read and Review!


	3. Moving On

…Frell to the disclaimer. You've got the point. All Flamers will answer to a talkin' ten foot sword called Judgment. Have a nice day.

Chapter 3 Stats: Revised (1x)

* * *

Chains of Memories  
By Dragon of Courage  
**Lethargic Tranquility**

**

* * *

**

Gali stared and stared. _Tahu's here! But that means…_

She shook her head and looked down at the packet. _But it cannot be. Like the others he doesn't have the memory._

Tahu was again drifting back to sleep as the teacher finished her lecture for the day and retired to her computer. Gali glanced at him through her drooping blue bangs. _Or the manner of the Toa of Fire, but then again Lewa over here is unlike Lewa Nuva._

So many questions had prevented her from finished her class work. She scribbled something in her notebook that was underneath the packet, and it slid towards the boy. The book tapped his elbows lightly and his lean columns that supported his head collapsed.

Thunk! Tahu's face fell smack onto the notebook. Gali had to stifle a giggle. _This is interesting._

"Huh?" His slurry speech was slightly inaudible. Blinking, he sat up straight and looked at the curious words before him.

"Your name is Tahu?"

The boy in the hooded black sweater looked behind his back to see if the teacher noticed him. He turned around and whispered back at Gali.

"Hai, soo desu. Namae wa?"

Gali cocked an eye before replying, "Gali desu. Taitei nihongo dake hanashimasu ka?"

Tahu blinked and then chuckled lightly to himself. Somehow, his laugh was so familiar to the Tahu the girl once knew.

"Iie, I'm just doing it to make Wiener think I can speak Japanese, but I'm a white-washed first generation Japanese."

Gali automatically knew what he meant. Tahu never went to study Japanese in his entire life, despite having parents from Osaka.

"But then again, I went to Tokyo once to do kendo with my best friend, so I had hell with the language barrier." Tahu returned the notebook to Gali and laid his head on his arms.

"Why do you sleep?"

"Jet lag." The boy hid his shy eyes from Gali's view.

"You went somewhere?"

"I've got back from Hawaii," replied the muffled voice.

"You're the new kid?" Gali gasped. _How come I didn't notice him in the art class?_

"Yeah…letme tell ya this…" Tahu perked and got up as the bell rang. Gali stood up in unison with the other students in the class. She nearly gasped at his stature. His height was taller than most Asians in the room. It nearly made the girl insignificant.

"Zero period bites."

* * *

Gali walked alone down the halls. She was disturbed. She looked off the side of the building and saw the white clouds forming in the blue sky… 

…Gali can barely open her eyes to see the familiar curves of the red Hau Nuva contrasting against the clear blue sky. Her breaths were short and painful. She realized that she needed more than help. She needed life.

"Tahu…" Her voice was nearly a cracked whisper. "It hurts."

The toa of fire hushed her with his withered hand. His pinkish eyes were sad and in pain, like Gali. She knew that the fire inside Tahu died.

"Tahu…help me..."

She gave a final gasp as Tahu looked away, muttering harshly, "I'm sorry."

…Then she remembered why she would try to forget Tahu. He was dead. He promised her that he'll protect the both of them, but he too failed his duty.

Gali walked vigorously to her locker. _He doesn't deserve the mask of shielding._

She briskly entered her combination before opening her locker. Stuffing some books in, she stood up and a pair of hands covered her face. Bewildered, she grabbed the arms and removed them from her face. She turned around and stared straight into the dark eyes of an unknown stranger with red spiked hair.

"Peek-a-boo," His voice was deep and heart melting.

Gali shrieked, catching the boy by surprise. She stumbled backwards as the boy leaned against her locker door.

"I'm sorry, honey. Did I scare you?" he asked serenely.

"Oh, no," said Gali as she took a deep breath to calm her rapid heart down.

"I'm just not used to being surprised by someone I don't really know." The girl brushed stray hair from the sides of her face.

Then the male touched her face and said, "Hmm. The coma has been affect your mind, baby. Then again, I will tell you who I am. I am Tanui, your boyfriend."

"…!" Gali's eyes widened as Tanui's eyes trailed to her forehead. With a peck on the bewildered girl's forehead, he smiled strangely and walked off. _My boyfriend…!_

* * *

…The two toa sat on a jagged cliff near the rough, dark ocean. The sun cowardly hid behind the dark clouds for security, but glints of it showed through the moving tentacles of gray flowing billows. The swirl mass of foam lapped over the rocks beneath them. The once harmonic sea had beckoned them to its eternal dark depths. 

They were quiet for a few moments. At last, Tahu, the toa of fire peered at his only friend.

"This is it, Gali."

Gali said nothing, fingering the dull edges of her axe. Painful thoughts ripped through her fragile mind, tainting her tranquility and happiness.

"It all comes down to two," she unhappily said, shivering from the fact that her element was against her.

"But, we can still do it, right?" His voice had a sense of uneasiness in it.

"We can still beat it."

Gali looked at him with eyes full of remorse and then got up. She turned and ran away…

_Why must I trouble myself thinking about him!_

She ran hard on the track. Her painful memories had blocked out her exhaustion as she ran the mile. The coach's face looked worried.

As she ran past her coach, he muttered, "Nine zero two."

She panted next to a girl, who was sweating profusely. The girl with dark hair with reddish highlights and light brown eyes muttered, "Damn, Gali, you're good after that coma you had."

Gali smiled. "It's really nothing."

_It was something…_But the toa doubted herself about this mission to seek out her friends. She found people with the same names, but they are unlike the friends she once knew. _They're not even here!_ It was her conclusion. She must find them in a different method.

After they reported their time to the coach, the class returned to the locker rooms.

The girl smirked as she dressed. "The monthly Bionicle arena game is coming up. It's an open tournament to all Californians. If I can kick ass again, I might wind up at nationals."

Gali looked at her. "You are a fanatic of this toyline, Zara?"

"Fanatic? Bah! I'm obsessed. So far, I've won satellite tournaments and open ones, too. My room was filled with trophies and prizes. So, I gave up trying to clean my room." Zara sighed.

Gali giggled.

Zara looked at her. "So, how 'bout it? You can root for me at the tournament. You might get hooked, too."

"I'll think about it. I'll call you if I'm available."

"Alright, then. I'll try to reserve a seat for you."

As they finished dressing, the lunch bell rang. Zara slung her backpack around.

"Well, a healthy woman's gotta eat. See ya later!"

"Umm. Bye, Zara." Gali looked at the active girl who was bounding out the door. She shook her head, returning to the troubles she previously had. Like her boyfriend…

* * *

Lewa crouched in the corner inside the boy's bathroom. His hands shook in fear as the older boys towered over him. One of them in particular, wearing a short beard and having curly locks of hair, stepped up with menace in his dark brown eyes. 

"Give me the lunch money."

Lewa shrank back further, shaking his head. He had to refuse, but he knows that refusal is always followed by a consequence. He closed his eyes, trying not to cry about the current position he had been placed in.

"Just leave me alone."

The boy sneered and said, "Do you want to see Mr. Swirly again?"

Sniggers echoed throughout the bathroom. Lewa glared at the boy, "No."

"Then give me the money."

"No."

Anger filled the larger boy's mind and he picked up the boys like a feather and slammed him hard against the wall. Lewa cried out in pain, squirming like a worm in a bird's beak.

"Must I repeat myself again? Give me the god damn money!"

"Hey dude!" A voice hollered as the creaking of the door was heard.

The boys turned around and saw a lean, tall boy with a remarkable hairstyle that looked like it was on fire. He was wearing a loose black T-shirt underneath his white unbuttoned one and a pair of tan cargo pants held up by a black belt with a silvery, familiar buckle. A black sweatshirt was tied loosely around his thin waist. His firm hands were on his hips, and his face showed a blithe expression.

Dropping Lewa, the large boy, despite the height difference, loomed over the new guy that had just entered the bathroom to wash his hands.

"Yeah?"

"I suggest that you should leave the poor dude alone. You wouldn't like it at all if he was you." The boy's innocent red eyes twinkled as he strode over to the faucet.

Offended, the elder boy stepped back, growling, "No one calls Mark weak!"

"Oh, mark my ass," the other smartly replied, calmly cleaning his hands. The cool tap water sent shivers down his back.

The other boys howled at the remark. Mark glared at them and they were silent.

"Are you threatening me?" he growled. The boy took his time, drying his hands with a paper towel.

"Well, to my perspective I'm not, but then to yours…" he turned his face towards the group of boys with a glint of mischief in his red eyes. There was something about his eyes that sent trepidation down the boys' throat. He smirked as if he was going to pull off something very daring.

"…I am."

* * *

Gali walked pass the classrooms where the department of technology resided. She sighed, playing with her long blue hair. _I actually have a boyfriend._

Gali herself never knew what a boyfriend was until she probed further into her thoughts. She looked at one classroom in particular. _Is it destiny that I should be with this 'Tanui'?_

Then something in the classroom had caught her eye. Black hair, black glasses, and black coat filled Gali's mind with a memory. _Onua?_

She peeked in and saw Onua, a dark skinned boy with dark ear-length hair, busily sitting on the counter, poking at what seems to be a mechanical hand. Lewa sat next to him, covered with ointment that was being applied by Tahu.

"Oh, hi guys!" she waved.

Lewa looked up, wincing as Tahu accidentally dabbed a cut too hard. "Gali! Come on over!"

Gali took a glance at Tahu, who was listening quietly on his earphones. Onua looked up from his hard, delicate work and smiled, "Ah, Gali, it is nice to see a lovely lady like you up and walking."

"Umm…Thanks, Onua."

"No problem." He smiled serenely.

…Gali gasped, "Onua!"

The black armored body was lying still in the marshes of Le-Wahi. She dashed over to him with gentle tears flowing from her eyes. The back of his neck had a deep, visible cut. He died in a puddle of his own fluids.

The Toa paused behind her and watched in shock. It was the first death of a toa. They were helpless to prevent it…

Gali then adverted from Onua's gentle green eyes and looked at Lewa's wounds. "What happened to you?"

"Bully encounter."

Gali looked at him in concern. "Oh. Are you hurt badly?"

"I could have been hurt worse if it weren't for this guy." Lewa beamed, jabbing his thumb at Tahu, who also grinned sheeply in return.

"What happened?" Gali examined at the exotic blond haired boy with interest. He sat cross-legged on a stool with his black sweater around his waist. Every once in a while, he had to pull back his long hair that hung from the sides of his cheek, causing a slight wave in the fire. She dragged a tall metal stool and sat, facing the trio. Onua continued to fix the robotic hand.

"Mark went up to me and demanded for my money. I refused. I didn't like him," Lewa spat.

"And then?"

"He beat me up to a pulp and then threatened to flush me."

"Ohh…and he didn't?"

"Yeah, instead, he and his gang got flushed instead," Lewa replied, giggling like a young child. Onua chuckled to himself. Gali asked in disbelief.

"How?"

"Cuz Tahu came in and did karate moves on the gang. It was funny to see them all..." Lewa drew a swirl in the air.

"No way." Gali rubbed her head. _Seriously, a sleepy guy like him can't pull off something like that. Maybe he can act like Tahu…_

"Way. Let Tahu show-." A hand covered his mouth. Obviously, Tahu was listening into their conversation. His cheeks were turning pink. Gali was slightly surprised to see him look humble instead of proud.

Well, that killed my faith that my Tahu is here in the real world…then again, why must I still think of Tahu? He is not as important as the mission I am entrusted with.

No, Gali. You are worried what happened to him after you died…

"Umm…Lewa? I would really like it if you can keep it quiet on the subject."

* * *

"Eh?" Pohatu stared in disbelief inside the bathroom where Tahu previously went to wash his hands for lunch. Particularly, he looked at the toilets in the stalls with amusement. The groaning boys' heads were stuck inside the white bowls. The bodies flopped about like fish out of the water. Some were unlucky to have a partnering head inside through the toilet seats. 

One of the men's buttocks had a sign taped to it. Pohatu took a glimpse at it.

"Loser."

The brown haired boy scratched his head, wondering what sort of nasty curse had been brought upon them.

"Hey, can you guys hear me?"

Groaning and loud curses could be heard outside the bathroom.

* * *

Good Charlotte 

…My Japanese sucks. Review well.


	4. Hikari

Ohh…lookie all ze preetty colors…

* * *

Chains of Memories  
By Dragon of Courage  
**Battle One**

* * *

The last bell rang. Students piled out of class and formed a mindless crowd. They entered the Quad, an open space where outside school activities took place. The crowd split apart as the individuals went to their assigned lockers.

Lewa slammed his locker shut and walked towards the bench that was facing the Quad. The boy slung his backpack over the table and sat down, waiting for his mother, who usually arrived thirty minutes late.

Pohatu and Gali walked from the soccer field, chatting about today's events. Gali interrupted, "There's a new student today. He said his name is Tahu."

"Tahu, eh? So, that's the new guy's name," the boy rubbed his chin, "I like his hair. Make me wonder how can he actually perm his hair like that."

"It's a mystery," Gali mused.

They turned a corner and were at the Quad. Pohatu branched away from Gali, "Well, I gotta get Onua."

"You know him?" Gali asked. The brown haired boy nodded as he jogged away.

"He's my ride!" hollered Pohatu.

Gali then realized that Onua was old enough to drive. She shook her head. _I must not think of them as my fellow toa…_

She sighed and walked up the stairs to meet up with Tanui.

Tahu's bold eyes were staring curiously at the ever-changing sky. Clouds rolled pass as he leaned his back to the trunk of a white, flaky tree. He smiled casually, holding a long wrapped package in his hands.

"Today is a beautiful day," he muttered, ignoring the looks from his peers. He brushed back his shoulder-length hair and relaxed, absorbing the rays of the afternoon sun.

"Nature is magnificent. Sure beats surfing," he chuckled. Then he noticed a milky white butterfly fluttered aimlessly across his field of vision. He blinked, looking at the creature with wonder. It had reminding him of everything in Hawaii. The islands were small, but beautiful. Like the butterfly, he too journeyed to the unknown.

He yawned and got up, picking up his bag and his long object. The boy reached into his large pocket and changed the track on his mp3 player to a song he enjoyed. Fitting his earphones that once hung on his shoulders, he walked towards the Quad.

"Hikaru is an awesome singer."

The white-haired boy slammed his lockers and slung his black bag over his shoulders. The locker closed in front of him as he sighed. He took off his black shades, revealing shocking cold blue eyes. His colorless hair blew across his face and he turned towards the Quad.

_I've waited for so long…_

Then he silently walked.

Onua and Pohatu found Lewa sitting on the bench. They sat together and talked about the Bionicle tourney, which was held every end of the month at their local arena.

"Well, sucks that it'll be an open tournament."

"What wrong with that? There'll be lotsa good opponents."

"And so will the female purple toa with the codename Raiju. She won fifteen titles for open, state, national, and international! She'll whip my toa's ass before I can say 'Bionicle Launch'."

Gali fell into an embrace with her boyfriend and he whispered into her ear, "I love you, sweetie, and nobody's gonna ever change that…"

The girl responded with a kiss, but her mind was troubled. After breaking apart, Gali looked over the balcony that was facing the Quad.

Tahu quietly walked across the quiet Quad. Hundreds of students were gone, leaving behind the stragglers. His earphones were blaring music.

He walked past someone and stopped.

_White hair…_

The albino looked at someone with the corner of his eyes.

_Red eyes…_

Their backs were facing each other. The air around them grew tense. At the same time, they flung their bags to the side. Some people paused to look at the duo.

Even Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua stopped talking and looked at the empty square in front of the bench. Gali diverted from Tanui's dark gaze and noticed the two lone figures. Her gaze then dropped. _It's them…_

* * *

In the blink of an eye, Tahu took off his earphones and set them on his broad shoulders. In unison, they pulled out two objects. The pale figure's rod-like stick elongated, forming two blades on two ends. Tahu, on the other hand, drew what seems to be an ancestral samurai sword from his long package.

They turned around at once, clashing their weapons at each other. The force threw them backwards and they skidded several feet from each other. Tahu brought out a crimson warped, teardrop-shaped pendant from his pockets. The other also showed a crystal clear round jewel in his hand.

Chanting an incantation, the talismans glowed and they pointed them up into the sky. Sparks of red and white erupted into the air and dispersed, creating a dome shield over the two.

The boy with the white hair smirked at his opponent, "So, Tahu, how is Hawaii?"

Tahu grinned, "I had fun, Kopaka, but you weren't there. But, I am gladly to kick your ass to there and back."

"First blood?"

"Agree."

They charged, brandishing their weapons. The students around the force field stared and several of the girls fainted. Lewa got up and saw the two boys fighting. He asked Onua, "Hey, who's the white dude fighting with Tahu?"

Onua peeked over his black sunglasses and answered grimly, "Kopaka Nubanu. He's the hottest sophomore guy in school. Seriously, he ain't hot, but more like a cold guy."

Pohatu gaped. "Damn! It's like a real life Bionicle battle!"

* * *

Kopaka gave a swing with his pole-arm across where Tahu's chest should have been. Tahu arched his back to nearly ninety degrees as the blade whistled above him harmlessly. The crowd winced at such impossibility.

Tahu swung a downward slice at Kopaka, but was blocked by the forked blade of the halberd. They struggled and Kopaka commented him, "Good moves, buddy."

Tahu sweated, "Yeah, but it isn't my true potential."

"I can tell."

"Wha-?"

They broke apart and continued to battle. Their agility and quick reflexes had made their moves a blur. Once in a while, the forms paused whenever their weapons interlocked with each other. It was a dance, the beauty of martial arts.

Gali was watching them from above. Disregarding Tanui, she peered over the balcony, mesmerized by the moves the boys executed. She sighed inaudibly. _Just like the boys at home…_

"Tahu and Kopaka…"

Her boyfriend obviously irritated that Gali was watching the fight, stood next to her and tried to draw her attention away.

Tahu flipped backwards and blocked a jab with his sword. Kopaka stepped back as his friend did a series of slashes in the air, causing a stir in the winds. The albino grinned as his red-eyed opponent finished with a hard attack in the middle.

A huge sonic blade sped towards the albino. Kopaka merely pointed the fork-like blade on one end of his pole. The crescent-shaped wave split in half and they dissipated when they contacted with the field. The crowd stepped back in fear, but was captivated by the sheer power of the fighting boys.

"You are strong, buddy," Kopaka grinned.

Tahu whirled his blade around and kept it at rest. The cold steel balanced perfectly on the web between his thumb and index finger. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"…so are you, Kopaka-kun," he panted, inhaling precious oxygen.

They charged again.

* * *

Pohatu himself was consumed by the action. Never in his life did he encounter magical force fields, except in the Bionicle Arena.

Onua was enthralled by the attitude exhibited in the duel. "It is as if they were playing with each other."

"What did ya mean by that, Onua?" Pohatu looked over his shoulder.

"They never really hit each other, yet they fight."

"Good point."

Gali, on the other hand, was having serious troubles with her memories…one in particular…

"Brothers!" Gali screamed at the top of her lungs and nearly in tears.

"You can't quarrel now. We have other problems to solve."

The two Toa Nuva, contrasting each other in personality and color, dropped their weapons.

Tahu looked down at the floor, muttering, "I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."

Kopaka Nuva scanned his rivaled friend.

"More or likely, what is wrong with us?"

…The girl rubbed her forehead.

"What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, sweetie. You are my perfect angel," Tanui whispered passionately in her ear.

Gali looked at him, pained to the fact that her memories were bothering her. She wanted to tell the people with the names of her friends her pains, but they would not understand. They were not the toa.

* * *

The fighters dug their weapons on the ground, panting. Their physical energy had run low on them and Kopaka could barely stand on his feet. Tahu's eyes were starting to droop in fatigue. The albino wiped the sweat from his pale face. His short-sleeved turtleneck was drenched. He gritted, saying a complement to his long-lost friend.

"…Damn…you're…pretty good…"

Tahu looked up and managed a smirk, "You're…not…bad…yourself. Any other options…?"

Kopaka grinned, "Where physical…strength fails…there's always the spiritual…"

Tahu's eyes widened and he frowned. _Oh crap. I've only got one half…_

The white-haired boys stood up, holding his icy jewel. It glowed a brilliant white light as he chanted. The ground beneath him glowed, forming an intricate array of circles and lines.

"Aid me in this battle…Koori no Kyuubi!"

The clouds that covered the school dispersed as a ball of ice hurtled through the heavens. It impacted on the ground inside the force field. Cold mist spewed from a dark form and they cleared, revealing a large white fox with ghostly nine tails. It barked at Tahu, baring its teeth.

The blonde stepped back as the waves of cold air rippled throughout the field. Kopaka looked at the boy.

"What is wrong, Tahu?"

Tahu saw the misty breath emanating from its mouth. Clutching his crimson talisman, he too said the ancient words as the circle of patterns appeared underneath his feet.

"Help me out in this fight…Honoo no Ryuu!"

The ground rumbled and from the mist came waves of weak fire. The fox stepped back as its icy field was being countered with heat. The rumbling stopped. In the center of the chaos was a little sleeping dragon. Its short body was completely engulfed in fire as it yawned quietly to itself. Tiny paws clutched its flaming ghost tail, wrapping itself into a tight ball.

At this sight, Kopaka sweatdropped with the crowd.

* * *

"Whoa," Pohatu stared at the innocent dragon the size of a cat in comparison to the powerful fox, which was as large as a car.

Lewa's eyes boggled. "That's small."

"True, but seriously-."

"-that must have been embarrassing," Onua finished Pohatu's statement.

Gali sensed the familiarity with the two creatures. She looked at them with interest. "There is definitely something about the two boys. I will have to find out."

Tanui, however, scowled at the fact that Gali was completely ignoring him. _What is so interesting about a silly fight?_ He thought. He looked over the balcony and saw the fire dragon.

_What the -?_

* * *

"Tahu," Kopaka spoke slowly, "You are embarrassing yourself."

Tahu was bewildered altogether. "Well, I didn't really expect him to remain this small. But he can still fight. I think."

Kopaka sighed in exasperation, but he held his cool.

"Visionary!"

The fox howled as it charged at the slumbering dragon.

Tahu stepped up, holding his sword in guard position.

"Shield!"

The dragon woke up, but the swift spirit surprised it. It squealed as the fox tossed the creature into the air. It curled up tight into a ball of fire as the spirit waited below for the weak point.

The fox saw it.

The nine-tailed fox opened its mouth, forming a vast orb of glowing light. Kopaka whirled his bladed staff around and charged. The fox spewed tendrils for icy mist towards the dragon.

Tahu commanded the second time, "Shie –oomph!"

He failed to notice the swinging halberd as the pole collided with his gut. He fell over, clutching his stomach as his dragon froze in midair before it shattered on the ground. Orange wisps of the spirit lingered in the air before it disappeared.

Lewa frowned as he sat back down, "Tahu lost."

Onua checked his watch, "They've been fighting for five minutes…I admire their strength. They put on a good show."

Pohatu then slapped his head, groaning, "I forgot that I have track this afternoon! Onua, is it okay if you can wait for a while?"

They stood up as Onua nodded, "I have patience. I can finish off my physics homework by then."

Lewa smiled at them both and said, "I've also have to get going. Mum gets mad if she has to wait."

"Alright, see ya!"

* * *

Gali gasped as the blonde boy fell over in defeat. She dashed away from Tanui's firm arms as she headed towards the stairs…

_Not now…Not like before_…

Kopaka Nuva gasped as a long sharp rods jutted out of his chest. The toa of fire immediately caught his rival brother as he crumpled to the ground in defeat. Gali was in tears. She was crying for Kopaka, crying for her friends that died before him, crying for the scene that lay before her.

"Tahu…" Kopaka groaned as he was laid gently on the ground. His life fluids were leaking from his wounds.

Tahu couldn't bear it any longer, "Quiet, Toa Kopaka."

"…You were a great leader." He coughed, trying to smile for the last time.

"Stop it."

Kopaka had ignored him. Life was flashing before his eyes. Clutching the rods that protruded from his wounds, he remembered the very day he landed on Mata-Nui, the day he changed, and the day he took a visit to Metru-Nui. After all this, he knew that his time on Mata-Nui was over. Kopaka wondered if it was worth it to use his body as a shield. _Was it really worth it to protect them two?_

He knew that he would someday see his brethren again. He wished that he could just punch Tahu across his face for being such an asshole before the island was endangered. _That would have to wait._

His broken lens gazed over Gali. Taking Tahu's right hand with his bloodied ones, he smiled before his blue eyes dimmed to nothingness. The warrior died in honor.

"Kopaka! No!"

"…Take care of her well."

"KOPAKA!"

…The albino towered over Tahu. The kitsune that purred next to its master disappeared into smoke.

The defeated boy blinked as he gazed into the icy cold eyes of the dark dressed figure. His samurai sword was embedded into the cement next to him.

"You suck." It was all that Kopaka can say.

Tahu sat up as the blade of the pole arm was pointing at him. He sighed.

"I didn't have time in Hawaii. I got caught up in surfing and-."

Kopaka squatted in front of him. His weapon was held upward at the sky.

"Still, you were lazy to practice, Tahu. You could not even cast a simple shield. You're embarrassing me."

"I just got 'im a month ago."

Cocking an eye, Kopaka stood up tall as his weapon collapsed into the rod.

"I'll see you again tomorrow." He changed the subject, bowed, and walked towards the force field.

He looked at the puzzled faces of the crowd. Kopaka barked, "You did not see _anything_. Your memory will be erased from this event. Stop staring and go home."

Touching the wall, there was a flash of radiant light.

* * *

Utada Hikaru

For those who are totally clueless on the Japanese vocabulary, Hikari means 'light'. :Wink:

Lotsa people ask me. "What the hell is this story about?" or "I don't get it". I just want to tell you all that this is a developing story. It is supposed to confuse you until I am finished with it. (Actually in shorter terms, you all just suck J/K J/K :sweatdrops:)


	5. If We Could Start Over

Hopes that the lil' kiddies doesn't read her fic then again…that is why rated PG-13 is for! Hah! ::laughs insanely::

Well, to my surprise, I did not expect many to be surprised of my five-minute research on Google. I researched and found the meanings of the six Toa. Hint: Their meaning is as obvious as the red guy over there that wields fire.

Where's Takanuva? ::Laughs again, slapping her knees::

_**Chain of Memories**_

By Dragon of Courage

_If We Could Start Over_

_-_

Tahu sat quietly on the ground, holding the crimson jewel. He got up, brushed the dirt from his pants, and walked towards his backpack, sheathing his sword. The crowd was not longer there, for their memory had been erased by Kopaka's spell.

"Another loss," he muttered.

Thinking about the words of his friend, he smirked.

"A man can be destroyed but never defeated. Hemingway was a wise man."

Just as he turned around to leave the Quad, Gali was running up to him.

"Oh, konnichiwa Gali-san."

Then he noticed an expression of worry plastered on her face.

"Something the matter?"

She looked up at him and couldn't bear to see the bright red eyes that looked like the Tahu from Mata-Nui.

"That fight…" she began.

She stopped, taking a glimpse of surprise on his face before he returned to a relaxed look. _Ah, there is something that I shouldn't know…_

"What fight?" he looked up to the sky, grinning. Obviously to Gali, he was lying.

Gali looked about, making sure that Tanui was not watching her. She feared that he might lash out on the new student for hanging out with her.

"You know, Tahu. The fight with Kopaka."

"You know Kopaka?"

"Everybody knows Kopaka. He's the popular one."

His face faltered a bit before he chuckled, "What did Kopaka say about it?"

"He had no comment."

_Good ole Kopaka._

"Well, I am glad to hear that, Gali-san. Ja mata!" Tahu left the girl in a state of confusion.

"Wait! Tahu!" Obviously, her past and present were clashing against each other.

Tahu stopped as he was at the gate to the back parking lot of the school. _The hell she want?_

Gali ran up to him, her bag bouncing behind her back.

"Can I walk with you?"

_Well, your day has become weirder than it already was, Tahu_, he thought.

"Err…why not?"

"I just needed someone to talk to." They passed the gates and strode off the parking lot.

"What the-? But, you've just met me!"

-  
{I've never found out why you walked away}  
{And never said good-bye}  
{But now I see you}  
{I'm torn inside, but I've still got my pride}  
-

The white-haired boy sat on a table outside of the school gates, meditating. It was clear to the fact that he was paranoid of something.

_God damn it, Tahu. Your laziness is hindering your abilities. Then again, it's great to have someone to be angry at and wouldn't really mind. Great listener and a lazy asshole... My life is great._

Known to the people, he was the hot, attractive guy with "sexy" blue eyes that practically ignored his own fan girls, or the weird albino that overachieved himself.

He sensed a presence nearby. It was not Tahu.

"What?" he snapped, his eyes still closed.

"Your talent of fighting is superb, Kopaka. You beat him. Now, the ordeal is over, do you reconsider?"

"I reconsider bullshit. I have no ties to the likes of you. I have my own gang to depend on."

"You and what team? Only Nubava? Admit it. You never liked him," the voice laughed.

"He had been my friend since I was very young. And no, we're not gay."

The voice said in disappointment, "Aww, I was think about it before, but oh well. I really appreciate if you do rejoin us to be 'Kappa'."

"What happened to 'Theta'?"

"We've placed it with someone else. So, how about it?"

Kopaka raised his left forearm, his fingers curled into a fist except the middle finger. It was pointed straight and true at the sky. The back of his hand was faced towards the voice. Yes, my friends, it's a ritual called "giving someone the finger".

"F### Off." He said blankly.

The voice, obviously pissed, threatened, "I will show you no mercy, Kopaka. Next time, I will force you to join me then."

"Next time, I will disembowel you."

-  
{I understand that some things are better left unsaid}  
{I'm afraid of the truth}  
{But what can I do if I still want you}  
-

'You want to know more about me?" Tahu paced himself along with Gali on the gray sidewalk littered with fiery colored leaves.

Gali looked at the ground as they walked, nodding her head.

"Well, yeah. I don't usually meet people that summons dragons."

"Why not ask Kopaka?" Tahu tried to divert his dragon's attention onto his friend.

"Well, he's a bit…" Gali was not sure if the Kopaka in this world was anything like in her world. She hoped someone besides her knew what had happened in her old island.

"…cold?" Tahu chuckled, folding his lean arms. "He does get that impression, but really, he's a nice guy. I've known him for years. He is one amusing character."

Gali nearly fell, entirely forgetting his fight with Kopaka. _Yeah, that's definitely not my Kopaka or my Tahu…_

"So," she questioned, "Why are you here?"

"Parents."

"Your parents forced you to go here?"

Tahu nodded, "Yeah. They nearly flipped when I've got a B in English at my old school in Hawaii, so they sent me here."

"Wow, Tahu, your parents are…" Gali tried to find the right words, but the Japanese finished the sentence.

"…Insane. Yes, I think they are."

"I mean they've actually put you here a two months after school started. And you're in…?"

"Both Tech and IB magnet program," Tahu grinned as they walked off the cool sidewalk and entered a recreational park.

"Are you sure that you can catch up to date?"

"Seriously, Gali-san. Are you worried that I might get kicked out that fast?" He stopped, looking directly into her yellow eyes.

"Yes! I mean…" Gali paused as painful thoughts of losing people ripped through her conscience. Noticing his eyes boring into hers like a drill, her mind was mesmerized. _Just like before…_

"Naw," he broke away his stare. "I'm not really that stupid."

They sat on the bench near the playground, but close to the street. Kids laughed and screamed as they played about the metal sets. Gali sighed as she was positioned on the right side of the bench, while the boy took the left side. In between them were their heavy backpacks. His steel sword encased in cloth was placed in between the bags.

"Hey, Tahu."

"Hmm?" Tahu plucked off one of his earphones.

"What really happened in the bathroom?"

"Uh…" Tahu was speechless to tell her the real event that started out like…

Mark threw a punch at his face, his own countenance fused with rage. To the larger man's surprise, Tahu sidestepped the hulking body as he tossed his towel in the trashcan.

"Grr… You will pay, twig boy!" Mark hollered at the new boy.

He lunged again and missed as Tahu turned his body sideways, his vein popping at the corner of his forehead.

"Twig boy… that sounds insulting."

"Dammit, asshole! Quit moving!" Mark threw a punch at his face and Tahu caught the fist with his right hand.

"Why must you hate me? We've only just met!" The lean boy grinned menacingly, twisting his right hand. The bully howled in pain as Tahu released him. He panted, glaring hateful eyes at the new student.

"Get him!"

The five boys nearly jumped on him. In a fury of fistfights, the boys fell to the ground, groaning while Tahu simply dusted his sleeves.

"H-how?"

Tahu's face was tranquil, but tense. He positioned himself in an offensive pose with his hands straight. His highlighted hair swayed. Eyes were calm. His body was fluidic and relaxed, but strong.

"Kung-fu," he only said.

Mark sneered, hiding away the fear of being dominated, "Kung-fu my ass!"

He charged again and Tahu just shrugged.

"Okay, you asked for it."

The boy gave an upward kick, and Mark's head flew up in surprise. Tahu twisted his body around and kicked the side of his opponent's face with the heel of his shoe.

Mark slammed hard into the mirror of the bathroom, nearly shattering it.

"Son of a bitch… you're gonna pay!" His hands formed into grappling claws with lust of ripping the new boy apart.

Tahu fell purposely on his back, his legs crouched like a spring board. As Mark flew over him, the boy pushed his feet into Mark's…

"!!!"

It was a new literal meaning of "kung-fu my ass."

Mark was propelled into the stall and a loud splashing was heard. Tahu lay on the ground, wincing at the noise. The boy got up, setting the earphones onto his ears, and whistled at the mess…

"Umm…it's none of your concern," he replied blandly, looking away from her.

Gali looked at him for a split second and turned her gaze from the boy. She relaxed, staring at the late pair of white butterflies, hovering around each other.

Tahu's body perked up at the sound of wheels rolling. A black limousine pulled up in front of the park and stopped.

The boy brought out his cell phone and flipped the top open. He sighed.

Gali looked over the backpacks at Tahu before she heard a car door slam. She adverted her attention to a man that walked causally towards them. His head held high but not in confidence. His pale blue eyes were like slits, but not squinty. His thin dark hair with a few streaks of gray and white bounced at the slightest movement. Every stride had a meaning to it. Although he was clothed into casual shirt and black slacks, his posture is firm and unwavering.

The man walked up to Tahu and said in a rough voice, "Tahu-kun. You are late to pick up your cousin."

"Aww, Makuta-san, I'm tired." Tahu slouched on the bench, as if he did not want to.

Gali paled. _Makuta?! I thought he was dead!_

She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. _No, he is not Makuta, like Tahu is not Tahu. Still, of all the names in the world!_

Makuta glared at him, "Your mother demands you should go before you'll lose a kidney. You know the consequences of disobedience."

Tahu pursed his lips to a pout and glared at the floor. _Kuso…_

Finally he gave in. "Fine, fine."

Realizing he had an audience, he turned to Gali, who was clutching the bottom of the bench. Her knuckles were turning pale white.

"Whoa, Gali, you look like you've seen a ghost." Tahu said in concern.

Gali shook her head, trying to regain some of her color. Her grip on her seat was relaxed.

"Oh no, I'm fine."

She looked up into the eyes of Tahu's escort. Makuta looked down at her, smirking as if he knew her secret. They looked at each other for a few moments before the man broke the stare and grasped Tahu's backpack and sword. He turned around and walked away from the bench.

"Let's go."

Tahu followed, but he stopped.

"Hey, aren't ya going home?"

Gali almost forgot that she had a home.

"Oh, I'm gonna walk there." It was true since she can walk fifteen minutes to school and back.

"Do you want Makuta to take you there, Gali-san?"

Gali tensed as she got up. _Must not think of the man as my archenemy…_

"I don't know…"

Tahu shrugged. "It's alright. I won't force something trivial like this on you."

The air was still as the ground was littered with leaves.

He looked at Makuta and then said, "Jaa, mata ashita, Gali-san!"

Giving her a wink, he waved at her friendly and then walked away with Makuta, who was holding his belongings. Gali waved back and then realized that the two men were heading towards the limousine.

"Holy crap," she muttered, "He's got class."

-  
{If we could start all over again…}  
-

Seattle…on time  
Denver…on time  
Honolulu…on time  
San Francisco…on time  
Newark…on time  
New York…delayed

-

A braided golden blond-haired boy gazed at the blue screen with his steady yellow eyes. He was young to travel alone, but his parents were not here. They were dead, lost in a car accident.

He was dressed in black, a sign of death among loved ones. A white coat was draping over his sagged shoulders and dangled just below his knees, contrasting his dark grief.

Clutching a white action figure with a golden countenance and armor, he dragged his black suitcase to a vacant seat. He plopped down and groaned.

_My cousin is late…better yet, my stepbrother…_

After the accident, his only relatives are a bunch of weirdoes that used to play with technology at Silicon Valley a.k.a. the San Francisco Bay area several years ago. Now, they moved here due to Nubava Kouji hitting jackpot on some LEGO toy line. Yes, their family name is the Nubava.

He sighed, playing with the arms of his toy. Then someone looked over his shoulder.

"Hey, isn't that one of the original sets of Bionicle?"

The boy muttered. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because…"

The other figure stooped downwards and face him. His red eyes were bright and happy as his long flaming hair slid from his neck.

"I'm probably the only one who know the originals."

"_Anata wa boku no itokosan desu ka_?" The younger boy cocked his eye.

"_Hai_."

"_Takaishi desu_." The boy closed his golden eyes, smirking.

"_Tahu desu_."

Both of the boys were on good terms that afternoon.

-  
{For so many years now}  
{I've held inside things I meant to say}  
{But faced with the past now I realize}  
{I can't let that stand in our way}  
-

Through the bustling crowd of frantic passengers and arrivals at LAX, the boys walked side by side towards the awaiting figure sitting on the fender of the black limousine. Even though they were closely related, Tahu's six foot five height towered over the four foot five. Takaishi had a vertically challenging relative. The boy had to crane his neck to get a good look at Tahu.

"I noticed that you've gotten taller than the one in my family photo album," he began.

Tahu blinked at the thought and then laughed uneasily, dragging Takaishi's suitcase.

"I went surfing when I was about your age, Taka."

"Hmm. Anything else?"

"Well, milk is out of the question since the majority of our related blood are lactose intolerant. I guess I stretch a lot. Heh."

"Huh." Takaishi exhaled.

Then they stopped at the family's car. Makuta strode over to the rear side of the car and opened the door.

"Shimatta." Taka whistled.

"You've got class."

-

Takaishi flipped through the files that were left in the car. The folder with the Psychic Imagination Technologies Inc. (PITI) and the LEGO icon embossed on the outside showed prototypes of the Bionicle sets that might soon be released to the public. He was intrigued, even though his parents don't have the money to afford any decent models. He tossed his head to the side to rid stray hair and looked at Tahu.

"Nice designs."

His cousin scratched his head.

"Yeah, thanks."

The younger boy turned his gaze from his cousin and continued to look at the blueprints.

_Rahkshi designs…Bohrok…Toa…Eh? What this?_

His eyes came to a picture that was very familiar.

"Hey, Tahu, isn't this also one of the original sets?"

Tahu peered over and saw the red and orange figure with the original Hau mask holding a crimson sword with intertwining fire. Its body was drawn at three different standpoints. Its body looked more lean and durable than the original sets of Bionicle.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a gift from dad. He's gonna build it for Christmas." He laughed nervously, scratching his head.

"But can't you just get the old model of him?"

Tahu leaned over and pointed at an intricate pattern of circles and lines at the corner of the paper.

"This baby gonna make a difference. It's similar to Mod-9 plug-in chip, but this pattern would be engraved on the model itself, making the figure a few milligram lighter."

"_Demo_, isn't it illegal? The Bio-Code says, 'No tampering with the model unless given permission by the Judgemasters'."

Tahu looked at him and sighed. "Who is the son of the creator of Battle Arena? I am. Who wrote the rules? I did (with a bunch of other officials). Who qualifies as an Judgemaster? Me."

"...oh." Takaishi forgot that Tahu's father invented the mind-movable battle sets for LEGO. Tahu was his sidekick by being innovative with the models.

"Aw, Taka-san. Even with this discovery, I'm not participating in the tournaments. I promised Dad." He grinned casually towards the other blonde.

"_Aa, Soo desu ne..._" Takaishi muttered quietly to himself, "_jaa_, what are you gonna name it?"

The older boy looked outside the window and saw trees and buildings alike blurred past.

"How 'bout Pi Row Tek Nik?"

-

While the boys talked, a cell phone rang in the front of the car. Makuta looked over and grabbed the silvery flip phone engraved with a symbol of two winged snakes crawling over three dots. Two lines intersected the symbol at the middle large dot, forming an X.

He flipped opened the lid and answered, "Yes?"

"You've got the boy?"

"I've got both of 'em."

"What do you mean-? Oh."

Makuta sighed.

"You worry too much, Garret."

"I'm apologize, Mr. Hikage…oohh…" Then a sound of sloppy drool was heard on the other line.

"Society of Ga getting to you?" Makuta mused.

"uh…"

"Let me rephrase that. Is the women in the Society of Ga getting to you?"

"eh…ah…you see, Mr. Hikage…"

"I thought so. Speak no more." Makuta sighed, snapping his phone shut. _I knew it was a bad idea for them to wear miniskirts as the uniform. I need a memo to fire the designer. Better yet, I'll have a talk with Rachel. She'll probably shoot me, but why not?_

-

"Man," Tahu whistled as they neared his home.

"I've got pulled from Hawaii not because I got a B in English, but because I have to raise you as a brother."

Takaishi was quiet. He looked down at the carpet floor, clenching his hands.

"It is ironic that I'm gonna have a brother-like figure."

"Why is it so?" Tahu leaned his broad shoulders against the soft leather seats.

"You see, Tahu, I have ask mom and dad to get me a brother. They said they would, but it never came. They promised me two weeks ago, just before they died."

"Ah," Tahu looked at him. "I'm sorry for what happened."

Takaishi grinned weakly. "Oh, it is nothing really. It's not really your fault that I am suffering. It's just that…"

They pulled up towards a black iron gate.

"…I really missed them now."

Tahu nodded, as if in understanding.

"Tahu-san?"

"Hmm?"

"You wouldn't mind if I call you brother?"

Tahu looked into the yellow eyes of his cousin. He smiled.

"Sure."

{How can we walk away}  
{From something that was once so strong}  
{Have we the strength to say we're wrong}

-Celine Dion

Another chapter done! But, not as great, oh well. I'll have time to round this one up, too. ::has a difficult time deciding whether to put up another filler or another chapter::


	6. Ready Steady Go

Sorry for taking so long. T.T I got side-tracked.

Note: Makuta is not Tahu's father.

* * *

Chains of Memories  
By Dragon of Courage  
**READY STEADY GO

* * *

**

It was past midnight. The city was quiet and peaceful. But, out of the dark silence came a faint noise. It was no sound of a car strolling from out of town. It was not the thundering of the planes flying overhead. It was a practically simple tune, and practically annoying.

It was the sound of a cell phone.

In a luxurious house that looked like a mansion, a young boy of fifteen slammed his hand over the vibrating, yapping phone. It was playing "UNDO" rhythmically. Such simple technology can become one hell of an alarm clock.

"Nii…" He flipped open the silver lid and yawned.

"Moshi moshi?"

"We've got a problem. The demons are here."

"…dammit. It's 2:15 in the morning. Can't this wait?" His left eye twitched.

"Unless you want to see your innards spilled out, I don't give a shit."

_Ugh…_the boy thought.

"Fine. Where is it?"

"Downtown Disney."

Then his mouth twitched.

"…What the hell?"

The night setting was switched to the day after. The city was noisy, bustling with cars and construction. With so many cars, there was always traffic during this time of day. Practically no one was on the side streets walking. Well, not really no one.

The driver at the front of the traffic signal busily ate a six-inch sandwich while he eyed the red light. The black Mustang next to him had the windows down, blaring rock music. The driver recognized the melody. _What was it…Linkin Park?_

The light turned green and he drove forward, passing the car with the loud music. As he drove, he noticed two figures on both side of the street rollerblading past him.

"What the-?"

**

* * *

**

Tahu skated his ass off trying to outrun his opponent on the opposite street. His heart was pumping fast as he jumped, grinding off a metal rail, and landed smoothly onto the hot cement ground, just a foot ahead of his friend.

Kopaka knew better. Besides, he played hockey since he was young. There was no way that he was going to lose to an amateur surfer.

The albino leapt up a ramp-like board, angled his body and absorbed the long impact, just a yard ahead.

He looked behind and stuck out his tongue. Small tuffs of spiked hair were barely seen through the holes of his helmet.

_Let me see you try it…_

Tahu grinned as he picked up his momentum. His blond, flaming hair was matted with sweat and his black sleeveless shirt was soaked with sweat, sticking to his chest and back. He wore black knee and elbow pads just in case he fell over. Even though he was thin, his lean body had quite a build.

Just by simply pushing his legs outward, his skates rolled faster and he propelled ahead of Kopaka and sped down a steep incline. Kopaka followed suit on the other side.

They skid to a halt just as the red light flashed. They panted for a minute as the cars zoomed past the two skaters.

"Ready…Set…" Tahu panted as he saw the opposite intersection turn red.

The walk sign turned on.

"Go!" Kopaka grunted as he quickly skated past a straddling biker.

Tahu bounded over a large patch of flowers used as decoration of a near by restaurant. He crouched low as the wheels hit the hot pavement. His body curled nearly into a ball as he sped around obstacles.

Kopaka looked ahead to see white buildings looming ahead. The parking lot next to them was packed with cars. He grinned.

_It seems that I'm gonna win this race._

Tahu also glimpsed his goal ahead. Adding more energy to his vigorous muscles, he shot across the intersection to where Kopaka was racing.

They stopped at the crosswalk. Panting for breath, they looked at each other. Their minds were not determined to finish the race last. They had no time to talk. If they talk, they lose their energy to skate.

The signal turned green and they sped forward, trying to outmaneuver each other.

"Come on…" Tahu muttered to himself as they crossed over into the parking lot.

They swerved around rows and rows of cars. The two boys, exhausted from their race, would not give in to the other.

In a sound of screeching wheels, both arrived at the entrance to the mall. They stared at the crystal glass doors, panting like raved animals. Their roller blades were nearly steaming from the friction. Then the boys glared at each other.

"I WON FIRST!" They both cried at the same time. Several passersby looked at them oddly and one woman even dragged her staring child away.

"Don't look at the boys, Timmy. That's rude."

* * *

"Yah hear on the news?" Pohatu bit off a hot, steaming corndog. He, Lewa, and Onua were hanging out at the food court, waiting for two visitors. Pohatu wore a black vest over his white shirt with brown overlarge pants. Lewa, who is dressed in a yellow shirt with a phoenix design on it and dark beige cargo pants, looked at the brown-haired kid. Onua, well, looked the same. He glanced off into space, drinking his Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino. The dark teenager still wore a black tight shirt that reached around his middle, still wore dark pants, and still wore his long, black coat. On the bridge of his nose donned slick shades that reflected light from his surroundings.

"The police found lots of silvery fluid that stretched from ESPNZone to the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney, Anaheim. And it's not even oil."

Onua continued to sip his frappuccino.

Lewa asked him on the other side of the table with Onua, "Well, then what is it?"

Before Pohatu can answer, an albino's head popped into their view upside down. His blue eyes were firm and unwavering. He spoke, "An inspector tested and found out that it's organic fluid. It had organic molecules structured in a weird way, like-"

"-Liquid metal." The blond hair with flaming red design in it finished the sentence. He was sitting behind the three boys and next to the albino, who was leaning his head back to face the group.

"Tahu! Kopaka!" Onua sat up.

Kopaka's head went up and he fixed his long riboon-like bandana on his forehead. Their roller blades and gear were piled on top of the gray table, still smoking from the race. Sweat still stained their shirts. Tahu only grinned, crossing his arms. His right arm was covered in a white bandage.

"'sup everybody?"

Pohatu grinned, "They said that it looked like something got splattered and sliced in a long distance. They've even found two imprints of human witnesses, or trespassers; both are very different in shape."

Kopaka chuckled, "Imprints?"

"In cement. I said, 'Can you believe that? They've must have gain favor of the cow-fairy!'" Pohatu banged his fist on the table with amusement. Kopaka and Tahu looked at each other.

"So, are the witnesses dead?" Lewa asked curiously.

"I don't know." Kopaka shrugged.

"They never said anything more of it," Pohatu cleared the statement.

They sat there for a while in silence. Pohatu finished his corndog while Lewa fidgeted with his wallet. Onua…well…is still drinking the frappuccino. Kopaka impatiently whacked Tahu on the forehead with his two fingers.

"Hey-."

"I'm thirsty. Wanna smoothie?" The albino got up and looked at the Juice it up! sign.

"Just water." Tahu answered nicely.

"Hold on, my friends. I'll be right back." Kopaka smirked.

"Naw, no need," Pohatu waved it off.

"We're gonna go and check out the LEGO Store. They've got new mod chips on sale," Lewa piped up.

Onua looked at them throught his dark sun glasses as he shook his head. He smiled as the last froth of the mocha disappeared into the straw. _They're completely obsessed._

Tahu smiled serenely, "Alright, you guys can go. We'll meet you there."

* * *

"So…where's your cousin?" Kopaka relaxed on his black metal seat, sipping a nice, cool smoothie.

"Still in school," Tahu answered, slouching against his chair.

"He doesn't have teacher's in-service day?" His eyebrow rose a bit.

"Yeah, but he doesn't mind." The other smirked.

* * *

It was recess at a junior high. Takaishi sat underneath a large willow tree, reading a simple manga with complicated meaning. Sure many images have amused him, but this plot was brilliant. The simple story was about two brothers seeking something to take back everything they had lost.

Such humorous complex simplicity had gotten him hooked to it. He remembered the first time he saw this manga in Tahu's family library, piled with other Japanese texts.

"Hey, brother, the protagonist looks like me." Takaishi tapped the book.

"Eh?" Tahu swiveled around from his chair and looked at the cover page. Comparing the faces, the style, and the build, he smirked.

"Yeah, but he's fifteen year old and had a height of four foot eight. I think."

"Wow, he's short."

"Oh yeah," answered his cousin.

"Can I read this?"

"Sure!" The flame-haired boy grinned, "Besides, we've got more where it came from."

And so, Takaishi brought volume one to school. Flipping though the pages slowly, absorbing every detail of the graphic novel, he looked up and smirked.

"Hagane no Renkinjutsushi. Cool name."

He was sitting alone underneath the tree. The other boys played soccer or basketball. Girls with revealing clothes who act too old for their age flirted with other guys. Takaishi stopped reading and put the book aside to observe his surroundings. His braided hair sagged on the side of his neck. He still wore his mourning clothes underneath his white coat, which did give a few looks from his classmates. Although people and dubbed him the "new Japanese kid" or "loser," he was content of his environment.

As he stood up, the chain on his pants jingled.

* * *

Kopaka then trailed his eyes to the bandaged wrist on the other side of the table.

"I hope that get's better."

Tahu rubbed his right arm to comfort his pain.

"I don't think it was really necessary to kill those demons-"

"Rahkshi." The albino interupted.

"Yeah…Rahkshi." Tahu's eyes glazed at the actions he committed in the early morning. He blinked for a second and stood up.

"Well, it's time to meet the others." His empty cup was thrown skillfully into the trash with the flick of his left wrist.

* * *

Gali browsed through the window outside the music shop. She spotted something from the distance and then entered the store. People meandered throughout the shop, looking at skill crafted violins, grand pianos, and guitars. She strode forwards, trying not to leave her eyes from that one synthesizer.

It was a black Yamaha keyboard with fifty options of sound effects. There was a tempo adjuster for the beat and a large dial for the volume. More than a yard in length, the synthesizer was perfect for Gali. Touching the plastic keys, Gali felt them sinking smoothly, like flowing water.

The blue-haired girl looked around for a salesclerk. The young man approached her and asked, "Do you need some assistance?"

"Oh," she answered, "Do you have a chair I could use to test this out?"

"Umm, sure." He walked a short distance and whipped out a chair.

"Thanks." Gali smiled, taking the chair and sitting on it. Setting herself into a comfortable position, she started to play a melody that any Linkin Park fan would recognize.

* * *

That was when Tahu heard a faint sound. He paused and pivoted his body to hear one of his favorite tunes. Kopaka turned his head.

"Hey Tahu-."

Tahu hushed him. Then he grinned.

"It's Faint."

He walked briskly, following to wherever his ears took him too. Kopaka looked at him weirdly and questioned, "Faint? What do you – oh."

The albino almost slapped himself to forget that his buddy is a music fan. Tahu actually favored rock. Not heavy metal, but just rock.

They stopped right in front of the music store. Tahu's eyes gazed over at the piano player. Then he swore that his heart stopped beating. He peered in a little closer and his disbelief was confirmed.

"Gali plays the piano."

Suddenly the albino remembered something from school. Kopaka grasped his arm, "You know what this means?"

"I think we can compete in the Battle of the Bands," Tahu smirked as the light reflected off her flowing hair.

"I think she's got the potential for us to reach first place in the competition."

"Yeah," Tahu was mesmerized by how each note perfectly hit the right pitch and key.

"Tahu?"

"Hm?"

"I want you to talk to her."

Tahu gagged a bit. He swung around towards Kopaka. "Me! Why me?"

"You've got charisma." The other slyly smirked.

"Oh! No I don't!" he argued back.

"I'm the leader," Kopaka countered angrily, "and you're my pawn. So, get your scrawny ass over to her and at least ask her. All right?"

Tahu growled, glaring at his best friend. Looking into Kopaka's eyes, Tahu could see the dark pupils enlargeing, turning almost puppy-like. _Damn your puppy eyes…_

"Fine." He pouted a bit before he whipped his body around in her direction. Kopaka leaned closer to him. "You talk to her while I follow, okay?"

Given a slight push from Kopaka, Tahu rolled his eyes. "All right! Okay!"

His face looked a bit smugged, but when he laid his eyes on her, he blushed.

* * *

Her fingers rolled over the white and black keys like a smooth gentle current. With the last notes flowing through her arms, she gave a sigh. Gali always wanted a keyboard that can play as beautiful as the intruments at Ga-Koro. If there was any way to find her friends and go home, she might as well drag this keyboard with her, despite that it runs on electricity, which is an element her island doesn't have.

Suddenly, she was aware of a prescence behind her. She turned around and stared into the abdomen of a boy. Looking up towards the face, she stood straight up.

"Tahu!" She gasped.

Tahu gave a look of nervousness, "Surprise?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Um…" His eyes gazed over at the albino who was waiting by the entrance. Kopaka was grinning, giving a thumbs-up.

"All I ask is…um…" His hand became sweaty as he chuckled.

"Yourpianoplayingisawesome. Sowillyoujoinourbandforthebattleofthebands?" He talked so fast that Gali only blinked. Kopaka nearly cried, trying to bang his head on a white concrete column nearby. Tahu wished that he could flush his friend's head in the toilet. The semi-albino was making him feeling quite uneasy.

He rubbed the back of his neck and only grinned foolishly. Gali looked at him, still thinking about what he had just said.

_So, definitely not the Tahu at Mata-Nui…Nevertheless he sounds nice, although he's uptight._

"Sure." She gave a small smile. Gali was, nevertheless, proud to help out a friend in need.

Tahu looked at her once again and his expression was relieved. _I guess Kopaka was right…_

The boy pivoted his feet around towards Kopaka and gave him the finger. He swore he saw Kopaka twitch.

* * *

"So, where are you going?" Gali followed the two boys.

"We're meeting up with the others at the LEGO store," Kopaka replied, putting his arms behind his head. He was satisfied that Gali was willing to be part of his band.

"Others?"

Tahu walked beside her, "You know…Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua."

* * *

Onua sat quietly alone in a store of blazing yellow, waiting patiently for his friends to be done with their "shopping spree". Who wouldn't be on a shopping spree for the Bionicle Battle Arena fans? For fifty percent off on all of the expensive mod-chips, it's a reasonable sale.

A whiz of green or brown can be seen at the corner of his dark green eyes. He smiled, putting his chin on his knuckles as his arm leaned on the yellow table. He waited for the others. He always did. He had waited for his father to return to him for nearly ten years. This type of waiting-for-friends was nothing.

A piece of LEGO block skidded across the table and stopped near his elbows. He slowly faced the black piece and cocked his head to one side. He picked the block with his two fingers and stared blankly at it.

The teenager felt a tug. Onua Nubawe turned his head towards a small child. The child was brown haired, wearing blue and white striped shirt and over-large jeans. His dark eyes were small and innocent, intimidated by the hulking dark figure of the teenager.

"Um…may I have that back, pweese?"

Taking a last look of the block, he gently gave it to the boy.

"Tank you, mista…um…" the eyes trailed to the dark shades that hid sensitive green eyes.

"Onua," replied the dark-haired teenager. The sunglasses shook as he nodded to himself.

"Onua…that's a cool name!" chirped the boy.

"Oh really?" Onua was amused.

"Yeah. There's a earth toa named Onua. His owner is from Germany. He's the current winna of Europe. The toa lost to Raiju, losing the Intanaashunol Plateenum Mask of Victory."

"Well, well. A toa model named after me?" He smiled at the kid when he heard a voice from afar.

"Ah, Onua!"

He turned around to see Tahu, Kopaka, and Gali walking to him. Patting the kid's head, Onua stood up. The child then ran off to meet his mother.

Tahu looked around, "Where's the others?"

His question had been answered when Pohatu yelled, "Whoa! Sweet! High Speed Plug-in 9 for ten bucks!"

Onua folded his arms and cocked his eyebrow. He said nothing.

Kopaka gave a sigh at such immaturity of the soccer player. As he rolled his eyes, he halted and spotted a concealed figure amongst the armor section of the BB workshop. The person was female with a familiar long brown hair and a purple outfit.

He strayed from Tahu, Gali, and Onua. Gali gave a double-look at Kopaka and the figure his was stalking.

"Hey, Tahu?" She tugged at his black sleeveless shirt.

"Yeah?" he turned to look at her.

Gali pointed at the figure. "Isn't that-?"

Suddenly the figure shot up and cried, "Wuah!"

"-Zara?"

The girl turned around and saw the albino. She didn't give a thought right after.

"Kopaka! You!" SLAP!

Kopaka flew out of the yellow aisle and skidded right in front of Tahu. As Tahu sighed, Gali gaped.

_Oh, yeah. He's definitely not the Kopaka I knew._

* * *

L'arc enCiel

Bah! Bad ending… rushed T.T; I'll rewrite this if I have time again. . ;

Demon Saya:

It means "Well, see ya tomorrow, Gali!"

To everyone else who wonders about Takanuva: P


	7. 

**Chains of Memories  
**By Dragon of Courage  
Killing Spree

* * *

A boy jumps out of nowhere. "Hi! I'm Tahu Nubava from Chains of Memories!"

Another boy popped in. "And I'm Kopaka Nubanu...from the same story."

Tahu and Kopaka sat on a couch.

"And we're here to tell YOU that D.C. quit," Tahu smiled.

Kopaka nodded with agreement, "Yep, that's true. She was like 'Adios, Amigos'!"

"Dude, that wasn't what she said!" Tahu hissed. "That was like French! I think she said something like that in Japanese."

"You know what?" Kopaka snapped. "Screw you."

Tahu cocked an eyebrow as Kopaka continued the message.

"Yeah, she was like sick and tired of all the crap in the Bioncle section that she packed up and left fanfiction dot net forever."

"Actually, she moved to the Halo section," interrupted Tahu.

"Shut up, dumbass. Don't you see that I'm trying to make it dramatic?" Kopaka replied curtly.

"Well, you're doing a horrible job on it." Tahu shot back.

"Why I oughta-!"

Tahu swings around an X-Box controller. Kopaka stopped, mesmerized by the shiny black thing.

"She said we can play Halo 2 if we finished what she said."

Kopaka nodded.

"And so, to prevent this from happening again to another great Bionicle writer, I suggest that you should suck up to them."

"Yeah, you should endlessly tell them that you love them and you'll even pay for their bandwidth," Tahu nodded.

"Hell, Tahu, tell them to pay for her sponsorship at Red vs Blue."

"But, she doesn't even have an account…and they don't accept free e-mail accounts."

"Shut up, dumbass. We'll find a way. We are alter egos of Bionicle figures. It shouldn't be so hard."

Kopaka turned back to the camera.

"And so, don't forget to whack a certain author who had all talk and no action. He's a pain in the ass. Just look for a reviewer that acts like Simon from American Idol, but not as bad."

"And spam like hell in the review box of others who can't spell Tahu," The blonde added.

"Give us all your money so we can shod off." Kopaka waved his index finger.

"Spray-paint 'Tahu X Gali forever' on your school lockers." Tahu innocently said.

"And play Halo. Lots and lots of Halo."

Kopaka paused for a moment.

"Are we done?" he asked Tahu.

Tahu thought about it for a moment. "Hm… I guess so."

Kopaka grinned and leaped away, singing, "Freedom! It smells so sweet!"

Tahu ran off the screen, "Let's go play Team Slayer! I'm sure the others are playing as well."

"Haul your ass over here! I'm pushing the button!"

There was silence as a haunting chant emanated off the screen. After a couple of minutes, the reader imagines hearing bullet shots and plasma discharges. A godly voice echoed. "Killing spree."

"F'ckin' hell yeah!" Kopaka whooped.

'

'

'

Looks like Kopaka got possessed by Church. Haha.

bbbbbhappybbbbbaprilbbbbbfool'sbbbbbdaybbbbbcockbitesbbbb.


	8. Brave Heart

:points at school with thumb: Writer's block 'n Finals… Nice.

Oh on the last chapter, that's an April Fools Joke, for those who couldn't quite figure it out…: sniggers and points at the subtle message at the bottom of her last chapter:

Note: About the disclaimer. The plot's 100 percent original. :grins:

* * *

Chains of Memories  
By Dragon of Courage  
**Ice Thunder

* * *

**

Kopaka's face was scrunched up, wincing from the large hand mark across his cheek.

"Hell…what in the world was that for!" he barked at the girl.

"I dislike surprises." Zara put her hands on her hips. She had looks that can kill.

The albino grumbled. "Bitch…"

Zara's brown irises nearly changed to an intense golden color. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

Realizing the hint of explosive anger rising, Kopaka coaxed her as he stood up, "Nothing! Nothing, really!"

She approached him aggressively. Once she reached him with her nose touching his, she declared a challenge.

"You. Me. Bionicle Battle. Now."

"But, I didn't say-"

"Come on, wimp," sneered the girl.

Kopaka lost his cool.

"Did you just call me a wimp?"

"Yes. I did. Are you gonna _do_ something about it?" The girl walked towards the counter of the LEGO Store. On her way, she snatched up her parts near the racks.

"It's on, Zara," Kopaka grinned evilly.

"And I'm gonna kick your sorry little-"

"Kopaka!" Tahu tugged his shirt hard. Kopaka glared at his friend who interrupted his loud-mouthed speech. Tahu only pointed at some staring toddlers who are very limited on the vocabulary to understand what had happened between Kopaka and Zara.

"There are kids around you." Tahu said in-a-matter-of-factly.

Kopaka looked at them, realized his actions, and whispered.

"Oh. Sorry."

At the distance, Gali just stared as Onua merely nodded his head. Pohatu and Lewa returned from heaven, puzzled at just what happened.

"What happened?" Pohatu looked onward towards Zara and a salesclerk.

"Kopaka scared Zara. Zara challenged him." Onua summarized.

"A Bionicle Battle?" queried the brown haired kid.

"Yep."

Pohatu and Lewa looked at each other. They grinned.

"Sweet!"

They followed Kopaka like hyenas following a lion and its prey. Sighing, Onua followed.

* * *

"Hoi!" Tahu sighed, stretching his back. 

Gali looked at him in concern, "Is something the matter?"

"Yes, indeed. Kopaka's fighting against a very good player."

Gali looked at him in confusion, "Um, how good is Zara?"

Tahu looked around the Lego store, seeing that the activity has mellowed out. He then whispered into her ear. Gali's eyes widen.

"No way."

"Well, then," he laughed heartily, "Let's just see the outcome. Are you ready?"

His red eyes showed a flash of excitement. Gali eyes lit up in curiosity.

* * *

The Lego employer, dressed in his usual bright yellow attire, brought out a card. On one side there was a crimson Kanohi Hau mask with the letters "BBA" intersecting each other in bold silver font. 

Approaching a door, he swiped the card into a card sloth next to him. The red light blinked three times before a green light turned on. Opening the door knob, he presented the awaiting teenagers a different world.

"Welcome to the Bionicle Arena. I believe lot three is not taken yet," he smiled heartily.

"Haww, sweet!" Pohatu skipped in with glee, clutching his shopping bag. Lewa, Kopaka, and Zara followed after.

Gali peered into what seemed to be the inside of a very large dome, big enough to fit a huge metal platform, with a large symbol engrave on it, surrounded by six other small platforms, used for other players. Studying the silvery symbol on the large, oval platform, suspended in the air by superconductors, Gali gasped.

"Unity…" An image of Onua's carcass flashed in her mind.

"Duty…" There was Kopaka, curled up into a ball, shaking like mad.

"Destiny…" She felt herself dying again, in the arms of the other Tahu, the Tahu she knew from Mata-Nui.

"Come again?" Tahu looked at her strangely, which snapped her out of her guilty conscious.

"Did you say something?"

"Oh." She looked into his eyes for comfort. His warm eyes soothed her pain from the terrible past. She smiled weakly, shaking her head. "Nothing."

"Hmm," Tahu studied her closely. Then he shrugged, his face showed no care, "Okay."

* * *

As the group waited for Kopaka and Zara to return from the storage room where all the models were kept for good conditioning, Tahu felt a tap on his shoulder. 

"Mr. Tahu, Son of Kouji Nubava?" a suave voice whispered.

"Yeah?" He turned around and was surprised to see the manager. The man was in a black polo shirt with khaki slacks.

The man pointed at the entrance. Tahu gave a quick nod and left the others waiting.

"Nice to see that you've returned from Hawaii." The manager commented as they strode casually from the arena.

"Well sir, I sure miss the big waves," the teenager chuckled.

"What? The ones in California aren't big enough?"

"Tiny compared to the ones I've seen."

"Well anyways, we've got a portable arena disk prototype from PITI. Sadly, it is doing strange things."

"Such as?"

"It sings the Hamster Dance."

"… What the-?" His red eyes widened in shock.

"I know," the other replied, "Strange things."

* * *

"Ready, Kopaka?" Zara grinned, holding a silver canister in her hand. 

"Bring it on, girl," Kopaka snarled, jamming his container into the side of the arena.

As both of them donned silvery visors that shielded their field of vision, the countdown clock appeared in a white hologram from the middle circle of the famous Bionicle symbol.

"3…2…1…Launch…Launch…"

The clock dispersed as the other two dots opened. The figures were curled into a ball as they were launched into the air. The white figure spun in the air before it unfolded. On its face was a white original Akaku, holding the power to see many things on different spectrums. It was slightly armored, holding a sword with separated blade sides and a lightweight shield. The other figure was a deep purple color, with neon green here and there. Silver armor donned its body. On its face was the deep-grooved Kewarana, a newly released mask, the power of teleportation. It landed hard, snapping off its weapons, two automatic plasma guns, from the sides of its lower legs.

"Name's White Knight," Kopaka spoke.

"Raijinuva," answered the girl.

They circled each other, both ready to attack one another.

"Let's go, White Knight," Kopaka mutter under his breath as he sat on the player's chair.

The White Knight took its great white sword and impaled the ground beneath him, freezing it completely. Lifting the blade up, he slammed it again onto the hard, icy ground, shattering the ice into a thousand shards. They flew towards Raijinuva.

BAM! BAM! BAM! One by one, the shards were shot down by electric bullets ejected from Raijinuva's plasma guns. She quickly leapt to the side as the sharp ice crystals embedded the area where she once stood.

* * *

Gali sat in-between Pohatu and Lewa as they were seated on a high-rise bench. Onua sat behind her, anticipating the battle in the arena. Gali asked Pohatu, "So, what makes Bionicle Battle Arena so popular?" 

"Well, besides that fact that it's such a cool game, it's a joint project from two companies: LEGO and PITI."

"PITI?" Gali looked at him oddly.

"Psychic Imagination Technologies Incorporated," answered the brown-haired soccer player.

"Their businesses were starting to plummet into the red. Workers were laid-off. Stocks were almost useless. It was almost the end for them until a bio-electronic engineer from PITI miraculously designed the first movable model using Technic parts. Not only does it move without a bulky battery cell, it is able to be controlled by the controller's mind, a technology first discovered by PITI."

Pohatu pointed at Kopaka's metal visor.

"Inside those visors are special nodes that can detect specific brainwaves emitted by thought. Those nodes then convert the brainwaves into microwaves, which is then picked up by the receivers inside the Kanohi of the model. With that technology, you can command the model to run around in circles, jump, attack, and probably execute a victory dance."

"Wow, no wonder it's really popular." Gali gazed over at the flame-haired boy and realized that he was not anywhere near her.

"Hey, guys? Where's Tahu?"

Pohatu looked around his surroundings and shrugged.

"Probably a bathroom break."

* * *

Tahu's head rested gently on the palm of his hand. He sighed, examining the code of prototype disk. 

"Class… Output ff… bleh," he murmured to himself, listening to Linkin' Park on his MP3 player.

The disk rested close to one of the LEGO store's computers. A dark USB cable was connected to the faulty disk.

His optical mouse rolled quickly as he skimmed the text for any unusual code.

His red eyes looked upwards, sighing with such boredom that it can lull a demon to sleep.

* * *

Her metallic guns blocked the strong blow of the dual-bladed sword. It nearly missed her Kanohi by a millimeter. Cool-headed as she always was, Raijinuva kicked out in front of her. White Knight jumped back and the purple toa fired a quick shot at his Kanohi. 

Zing! The shot missed by a millimeter as it hit the force field and dissipated. The White Knight knew his sight's advantage to see the angle of the gun and calculated where the bullet would hit. As the Kanohi's eye piece whirled magically into another different spectrum, the White Knight ran.

* * *

"So, erm. How does this battle end?" Gali asked. 

"Well, it's easy to be said, but harder to be done," Pohatu replied.

"Why?" she questioned his expanded knowledge of the Battle Arena.

"You see. The first model to knock off its opponent's Kanohi, the masks, off, it wins. PITI specially designed the Kanohi with a transceiver so that once it falls off, the model would no longer function. Of course, if one can pass its opponent's defense though… I remembered this long-limbed toa that gave Raiju, the international champion, a hard time. Then she actually walked on the arms, and knocked the Kanohi off. The player was such a genius."

"Oh. Wait. Kanohi!" Her eyes widen. She swore she saw the mask of Takanuva shattering to pieces passing through her mind. Her pupils shrank at the horror of the mangled figure in the trees. Bounded by the vines of the forest, Takanuva's wasted body hung there in the open…

"Err, yeah Gali. Their masks are called Kanohi. It's been called like that ever since the first model came out…" Pohatu looked at her, but he was surprised to see her in a state of shock.

"Err…hello? Earth ta Gali! You there?" Pohatu waves his hand in front of her. She gave no response. A hand gripped his shoulder. Pohatu turned to see Onua's black shades.

"I'll take her outside."

* * *

"Okay, mister." Tahu's red eyes glared evilly at the malfunctioned battle disk. 

"I've rescanned the code and took off some bugs. Let's see what you can do to me now."

He pushed a button on the side of the disk. One second there was complete silence. Then…

WHAM! "HALLELUIAH! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!" sang the disk as if hovered a few inches off the table. The disk's surface area grew substantially, but a bit too fast for Tahu's curious face.

"ARGH! MY EYE!" Tahu clutched his right eye. He stumbled backwards, tripped on his rolling chair and fell hard on the speckled linoleum floor.

"KISAMA!"

* * *

"Kisama!" echoed the door as Onua passed it. The black-clothed boy paused for a second near the door. 

"_Huh. That sounds familiar_…" Shrugging off the thought, he continued to escort Gali outside the store.

Gali felt a slight sting in her right eye. She felt her mind snapping back to reality from her past.

"What? Where? Ah…" She looked around and saw Onua behind her.

"You were not feeling well, Gali."

"But, I'm okay right now. Really!"

"Say that to Pohatu when you blanked out when he mentions Kanohi," retorted the dark figure as he sat on a plastic bench.

"I…err…" Gali sighed and followed suit. She really wished to tell him that she is not …well human. She doubted the fact that Onua would listen, because he does not look like the Onua she used to know. It weighed heavily in her mind. Suddenly, she had an idea. Sadly, it was a lie, but she hoped that it would not hurt her friend.

"I was troubled by a dream…" she started to weave the truth in her lie.

"And it was about me and six other people…"

* * *

White Knight's blade glowed furiously as he slashed Rajinuva numerous times, hoping to freeze her. However, Raijinuva also activated her teleportation powers, enabling her to dodge the swift attacks. 

"Just don't move," Kopaka gritted his teeth, frustrated by Raijinuva's taunting reflexes. He felt his mind being drain, as if the concentration of the battle had cause his head to swim.

"Die, dammit," Zara furiously thought.

Rajinuva took the initiative as she sprint full speed toward White Knight. It only took the ice figure a blink of an eye when she gave a flying kick towards the head. However, the impact resonated with a loud clang as White Knight barely blocked with his ice shield. Energy sparked at the holes of his shield. Given an opportunity, White Knight slammed Raijinuva with the flat of his blade. The blade only hit her arm guards as she tried to protect her Kanohi.

There was a sound of a crack as she flew to the other side of the dorm.

* * *

The arena disk hovered inches from the table. Energy surged around it; the force field was functional. 

There was no sound except the hum of the miniscule electric generators, which helped power up the disk.

Tahu grinned triumphantly at his success. Though his body ached from the fall, he gave a whoop of jubilee.

* * *

"…" Onua said nothing as Gali finished her so-called-dream. For a moment, he moved his sunglasses off the bridge of his nose as his dark green eyes looked upwards towards the skylight of the mall. 

"I speculate that this dream you had was completely random?"

Gali shrugged. Onua adjusted his shades to its normal position.

"Things that you did were tack to someone's book and that's how all of your people died?"

"I guess. But I don't exactly know the thing that I would do everyday that would lead to their deaths."

"Huh." Onua raised his eyebrows in skepticism.

"Well, sin is something people commit everyday…"

"What? Sin?" Gali looked at him, as if the word 'sin' was an entirely new word for her.

"You don't read the Bible, don't you?"

Gali looked at him, as shook her head slowly.

Onua sighed. "Sin is an ominous word, really. Whatever I do might be a sin to others. Wearing sunglasses might lead me to my death, for example. However, there's that myth of the seven deadly sins. Envy, Vanity, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Sloth. They are the things that people tried to avoid, but they can't really."

"Seven deadly sins" echoed in Gali's memory. She heard that coined word somewhere, but after being confined in hell for sixteen years, she hadn't had a clue.

"Why not?"

"Because we're human." Onua almost answered in a wise man's voice.

"You see, Gali. The human mind is unpredictable. It can be good, evil, or both. Of course, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

* * *

"You bastard," Zara mumbled, examining her armor. Her arm guards were cracked and were barely holding on. 

She staggered to her feet and grabbed her plasma guns. Raijinuva began to sway, in an attempt to excite electrons on the ground. White Knight stood guard, ice formed steadily around his feet.

Electricity sparked throughout her body. Cackling energy danced as she gathered her power.

White Knight prepared what might be an explosive conclusion.

Raijunuva stopped abruptly. The insides of her armor glowed an intense golden light, darkening her purple and neon green features.

The plasma guns turned blue as hot energy entered the round chambers. She brought them forward with her shoulders hunched and the barrels cocked, ready to fire.

"It's time for you to eat a can of whoop-ass!"

A blinding light filled the arena.

* * *

Tahu walked out of the lab, with the portable disk underneath his arm. He looked out of the store and saw the backs of Gali and Onua. 

Setting the disk on the countertop opposite the cash register, he strode out, approaching the two.

"Heyoo!"

Gali turned around to see the flaming blonde smiling at her. She felt a tinge of warmth in her cheeks and she smiled.

Onua had withdrawn to his pacifist self.

"What are you doing outside the store? Isn't Kopaka and Zara-"

"We're here!" Zara's voice interrupted happily.

Tahu turned around and saw the beaming face of the girl, a sulking face of Kopaka, and dazed looks of Pohatu and Lewa.

"How'd it go?" Gali asked her friend.

"Kopaka got his ass whooped…" sang Zara, proud to have her toa pull through the energy discharge and successfully knocked White Knight's Kanohi with a final flying kick to the head.

Kopaka glared as he mumbled to himself.

Tahu chuckled. "Was it good?"

"Good! You weren't there the whole time! Did you lost yer way to the bathroom or did you have constipation?" Pohatu blurted out.

The rest of the group snickered. Tahu was flabbergasted.

"I um… went window-shopping." He sweatdropped.

Gali rolled her eyes. _What a lousy liar…_

"It's true! I was…" Tahu looked frantically around, and Kopaka saw him lay eyes on Victoria Secret that was across the LEGO store for five seconds.

"You perv," joked the albino.

Pohatu looked in Kopaka's direction and slapped his hand over his own eyes. Gali looked at Tahu with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Tahu, have you been thinking dirty thoughts?"

His face was crestfallen as he went bright red. The rest of the group burst in laughter. Even Onua had to a few huffs at the boy's dilemma.

* * *

"Bye guys! I'll see ya around!" Lewa's face disappeared into a van and it drove off. Onua and Pohatu were gone. Zara took a bike home, leaving Tahu, Kopaka, and Gali all alone. 

"You have a ride?" Kopaka casually leaned against a brick wall, looking down at the blue haired girl.

"Yes, Tanui should pick me up at any minute now."

"Tanui?" His mouth twitched.

"Yes, umm, he's my boyfriend."

Kopaka looked down into her eyes, giving her a sense of insecurity for saying that.

"Oh." That was all he could say.

Tahu nudged Kopaka, "You shouldn't be so up-tight about Tanui. He's really nice."

Kopaka moved his mouth into a small snarl, but it disappeared a moment after.

"I think Gali picked a good guy to protect her right?"

Tahu looked over at the girl. Gali only looked down at the cement.

"I guess…" She wasn't so sure about Tanui. Lately, he had been preoccupied at his house, and it was rare to give her a kiss or two a week.

Suddenly, her train of thought was broken by a car horn. Tanui approached the curb in a black BMW Z3.

Kopaka gave a low growl. Tahu perked an eye at his friend's strange behavior.

"I guess that's my ride." Gali laughed nervously. She opened the door and saw the two boy standing together with the roller blades and gear over their shoulders. "Do you guys need a ride home?" she asked quizically.

"No need, Gali-chan. Makuta's already arrived fifteen minutes ago." Tahu smiled warmly.

Gali eyes opened in surprise. _The boys were waiting for me…such nice gentlemen…_

She shook her head and went inside the car. They are different. They can't be my comrades.

"Thanks for waiting for me!" hollered the girl as she slammed the door.

"No problem!" Tahu yelled back.

And off she went.

Tahu gave a faint smile before he looked at Kopaka. "Now, Kopaka. Spill it."

"HE'S GOT A FUCKING Z3! I'M SO GODDAMN JEALOUS! AND ZARA! I DON'T EVEN DESERVED TO BE PWN AND HAVE MY ASS HANDED TO ME ON A PLATTER!" His hands curled into a claw-like position.

"ARGH! God hates me so..."

* * *

Tanui looked behind and glimpsed at the flame haired teen. 

"Hey, isn't that the new kid?" His brown eyes then looked at the road ahead.

"Yeah, his name is Tahu. He's really nice and all…I'll introduce to hi-"

"No," Tanui snapped, and Gali flinched. His eyes glinted with jealousy.

"I'll see to him soon."

* * *

- Ayumi Miyazaki 

…neh, a bit of a rush…

It's seems that I was offered a staff position from someone I am not familiar with. So, please, for anyone who manages a Bionicle C2 community, ask me at Dragon.Brave (at) gmail (dot) com or I will reject the offer. Tell me what you're intentions are and I'll think about it. Sorry mate, but I have a certain degree of 'eliteness' that you must impress.

...I'll stop ranting now. Enjoy.


	9. Ordinary Day

… You know that old adage: "Great minds think alike?" I hate that. I really freaking hate that.

:pfft: stupid psychic connections…

* * *

Chains of Memories

Dragon of Courage

**When Hell Froze Over

* * *

**

It was Christmas Eve. To Tahu's terms, it was the day before the day of giving. To Kopaka, it means more snow.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Pohatu joyously hollered inside the hotel room, dressed in his brown pleated shorts and white thin shirt.

"Pohatu, settle down," Kopaka snapped, put his pale hands on his hips that held his long black pants. His gray turtleneck captioned "Anti-social" hung loosely on his shoulders.

"Oh come on, my dear albino friend," Pohatu wrapped his arms around the white-hair boy's neck and gave him a noogie.

"I'm gratefully thanking you for inviting us to your cabin for Christmas break!"

When Pohatu said "us", it meant that ten people came. Gali came with Tanui, while Makuta, Tahu's butler, arrived on Tahu's family Landrover, carrying Tahu, Kopaka, Tahu's cousin, and Zara. Onua provided a ride for Pohatu and Lewa. They're currently residing in Kopaka's winter cabin on Mammoth mountain.

"Say," Zara cleared her throat, "Why are you generous, anyway?"

Kopaka blushed. "It gets lonely whenever I ski. Tahu suggested bringing the group so we can discuss our piece for the Battle of the Bands."

"Oh…that! I nearly forgot." Pohatu chuckled nervously, releasing Kopaka's head.

Zara, dressed in dark purple turtleneck and lavender pants, raised her eye brow and then continued to work on her Bionicle model with a screw driver in her mouth.

Tahu looked up from his music notes that Gali gave him. He was wearing a bright red fleece pullover and black sweats to match. He had a black pen inbetween his lips.

"Neh… I believe that we can pull this one off. I mean…we've got two guitarists, percussion, bass, drummer, synthesizer, and a disc jockey, thanks to Zara."

Zara shrugged, "Hey, no problem."

Takaishi, still dressed in his usual outfit, asked, "So, what is the Battle of the Bands?"

"It's a high school competition where bands play out their piece and the judges decide the winner. The winning band gets to perform at the community concert hall for free," explained Pohatu as he took a sip of hot chocolate that Gali served him. "And I can get myself some fan girls."

Tanui cocked an eye at the boy and gave a silent snort. Gali and he were resting on an armchair near the fireplace. He had Gali in a protective hug as they snuggled near the cackling fire.

Lewa sat near Zara, amazed at her skill with the screwdriver as she flipped out a chest-armor from her Bionicle figure with a mere flick of her hand.

"Hey, Zara?"

"Hmm?"

"You seem to know about your Raijinuva."

"Heh. Yeah. It took me forever to find a model that could discharge energy. Tahu managed to find one for me. He said that the semiconductors were a bit more unstable than the infamous Raiju, which makes me to fix her more often," The female chuckled as she slapped on a new chest-armor.

"Tahu? Semiconductors? Does he dissect them?" Lewa was appalled.

Zara gave a snort as she set the doll down onto the table. "No. He…well…makes them."

Pohatu sputtered hot chocolate as he eavesdropped on the conversation.

"No shit. Tahu?"

"Yeah?" Tahu looked up from the music notes again. He gave a quick mark before his glowing red eyes fell upon the trio on the floor.

"You make the models? The official ones of Bionicle Battle Arena?" Pohatu looked at him curiously.

_Crap, Zara…_Tahu thought as he looked casually at them. "I just design them."

"But wouldn't that make you a millionaire with all those models sold all over the world?"

"All I got was a free trip to Japan," Tahu gave a short sigh. It was always these questions that annoyed him due to the fact that the reporters used to stalk his house. But, of course, 'kaasan had installed extra security and traps to make the reporters more appreciative for their lives.

"And the Asian house you live in?"

"Designed by mother, built by my relatives," Tahu replied curtly.

"Do you have like every model in your basement?"

"Only one."

"And what would that be?"

"Tahu II."

"Really?"

"No."

* * *

"How 'bout the Mod Chips?"

"Over my dead body, Pohatu."

"Oh come on! I'm your friend."

"No."

"Aren't you a little greedy?"

"You're killing the economy, Pohatu," Kopaka snapped, annoyed by his insistence to get a freebie from Tahu. "so, shut up and let us open our gifts in peace."

Pohatu quieted down as Tahu stripped a large slap of wrapping paper from his first gift. A canister jingled from its containment and fell onto his lap. Tahu picked it up and laughed.

"Takaishi, you amuse me."

In his hand was the original model before the BBA craze grew.

"Ano…Dad did break your toy a long time ago."

Tahu gave the small brother a pat on the head. Then he looked inside the can.

"Ohh! It even has the original Hau that I've always wanted. Thanks, Takaishi."

Takaishi shrugged. "Iie."

"Well, sweet mother of god," Murmured lewa as he pulled his gift out of the bag. It was a stuffed green bird. It was the size of his torso as he played with its large wings.

"It's from my Dad," Lewa gave a sigh of happiness.

"Aww. It's cute," Gali touched the bird. The large eyes looked backed at her with a bright shine, despite the fact that they were fake.

"Adorable, Gali," Tanui impatiently spoke as he brought out a present to her. Gali opened the gift and pulled out a silvery metal watch. Though design by Rolex, the figure is slim and fits Gali's personality.

"Oh wow, this is quite an expensive gift. I…don't have much to say about this…" Gali's stammered as Tanui leaned over her shoulder and gave her a peck in the cheek.

Tahu could hear Kopaka give a slight growl. He smiled to himself before he handed his cousin a small package.

"Eto…" Takaishi fumbled with the well packaged box, peeling off the tape carefully. Then he eyes widened.

"It's a a….ahaha!" He grinned as he pulled out a black box and slid it open. Inside lay a real silver cross pendant with a serpent wrapped around it. At the top of the cross embedded a crown with wings at the side. He took the leather thong that came with the pendant and flung it over his head. His mouth was still smiling.

"Niisan, Arigatou!"

Tahu gave a thumbs-up.

After most of the gifts have been exchanged and received thanks, there was one left. It was massive compared to others, but it sat on the floor wrapped in a great blue mystery.

Gali looked at the gift and was puzzled to see her name written on a piece of fine paper attached to the large box.

"What is this?" she queried.

She slowly ripped the present open and her jaw dropped.

"I-it's the electric keyboard... at the mall. I had always wished for one. Who-?"

"We all did, sweetie," Zara interrupted.

"For the band, ya know?" Pohatu added in.

Gali felt tears welling up in her eyes. It was the first time in sixteen years that she had wept for joy.

"T-thank you, guys." She smiled.

Kopaka stretched the black beanie he got from Tahu, "Don't mention it."

* * *

When the party was over, everyone returned to their rooms. The boys slept in one room, and the girls slept in the other. Kopaka slept on the couch, sadly.

After Gali finished brushing her teeth, she walked to the sliding glass door and gazed across the white barren landscape. She heard a door slammed shut and saw a figure walking out on the balcony. He leaned oh the snow covered railing as he looked up to the sky.

"Tahu? What is he doing out there?" She wondered as she slid open the door.

Tahu quickly turned his head and saw Gali approaching him.

"Hey." He gave a quick smile before he looked outwards to the sky.

"Hey, Tahu."

It was quite for a moment, before there was a loud thunk followed by a "POHATU! I'M GONNA FREAKIN' KILL YOU!", which was voiced by an irritated Kopaka.

Gali stifled her giggle as Tahu chuckled at his friend.

"I don't understand why he's your best friend."

"He may be an ass sometimes, but he has a heart of gold. We were friends since when we were four years old…"

"Wait, you guys knew each other for 12 years!" Gali eyes widened.

"You didn't remember?" Tahu queried.

"I-I uh…I don't remember."

Tahu gave a small frown of disappointment. "It must be the coma. I'm sorry to bother you about your memories."

"Oh no, Tahu. I just had some relapses sometimes…heh."

"Hm…well, I have something I really want to give you, but I couldn't wait for your birthday." Tahu nervously laughed to himself.

"Well, what is it?"

"Well…um….here." Tahu brought out something that made Gali gasp.

In the palm of his hand lay a round, deep blue teardrop-shaped pendant, strung on a black thong.

"This is…"

"I found it at an antique store. I hope that you'll like it." Tahu unclasped the necklace and flung it over Gali's neck. Gali looked down at the jewel and felt a sleeping power hidden within. _I could feel it…a power I had lost years ago and I had finally found._

Gali looked up into his bold red eyes and she put her cold hands to her cheek, blushing.

"Aww, Tahu. You're so sweet."

"It's no big. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Tahu craned his back backwards and gave a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm heading inside to get some shut-eye. I'll see ya in the morning, Gali-chan."

"Good night, Tahu…" Her eyes watched the young man enter the boy's room and dimmed the lights.

She sighed as her yellow eyes caught sight of the silvery moon. Taking one last look at the dark room, she returned to the girl's room.

* * *

It was late at night. All was silent except for some occasionally snoring emanating from the boy's room. Kopaka eyes fluttered as he curled his body on the couch, his crystal blue pendant glowing fiercely in the dark living room.

Meanwhile, Gali's body tossed and turned in her comfortable bed. Her dreams troubled her, for it was only the way for her horrified memories to haunt her.

"Kopaka…" she muttered as Tahu's gift emanated a soft blue glow beneath her comforter.

* * *

She was suddenly transported to a world where she knew so well. That swirling darkness wrapped its tendrils around her pajamas. To her it was the torture chamber, the dark abyss, and the world of darkness. To others, they called it hell.

_Why am I doing here? Oh, god, I can't die right now!_

She panicked. Her body was healthy and strong. It was impossible to die.

Then in the darkness, she heard a loud moan. Then the voice hit her.

"Kopaka!"

"…Gali?" the voice moaned.

Suddenly his chained body appeared into view as the swirling darkness parted and she nearly vomited. His mask was also stripped away. His bloodied pale body was in ruins. Pitch-black chains were wrapped all over his appendages and torso as he hung there in an X position. Smoke rose from his white mangled body in which Gali could not understand. Black fluid dripped to the floor.

She swatted, scooping the mysterious liquid with her index finger. It was not blood when she examined it. Sniffing her finger, she reeled back in horror. _Oil! That means…_

He was being boiled alive in oil.

"Kopaka! Why did you end up like this?"

His clear blue eyes opened and he looked at her.

"It was something that I didn't unders-AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

The burning pain was too much for him. He screamed as the chains that were tied to his arms secreted the black liquid. He panted, closing his blue eyes. More steam rose from his trapped form.

"I wish you do not have to see this, Toa Gali."

Gali gripped her hands to fists.

"How can I help you?"

"They said you should know." The eyes looked at her pale countenance.

"But I don't know! I was freed by a miracle."

"Well so can I." He tried his best to drawl.

"...So you better free me out of this hellhole."

"Why do you talk so much?" Gali questioned.

"Because I have changed, just like you, but not physically."

Gali looked at him. He had indeed changed since the last time she saw him. Well, he was dead the last time she saw him.

"There has got to be a way to free him." She said to herself.

"I think there is." Another voice answered behind her. She turned around and saw Kopaka, the human albino, dressed in a black shirt and checkered boxers. His white hair was bedraggled, as if he just woke up. He looked at Gali in a dull expression.

"Why are you here?"

Gali replied, "I was brought here."

Suddenly she did a double take at the two Kopakas.

"Holy crap. There are two of you!" she pointed at the human. Kopaka arched his eyebrow.

"It's rude to point, Gali." He muttered, rubbing sleep from his blue eyes. He walked forward and touched the chains that held his other self.

"Man, I've been visiting him for weeks and couldn't figure out the key."

"Key?" Gali questioned behind his back.

"Yes. These are chains that are connected to a lock. I just need to find a key. I looked all over this place and further into myself, but I just couldn't find it."

"You can't give up," whispered the other.

"I know I can't. Saying that will make me look weak. Come on, Gali. Do you remember anything that might help him?" The boy impatiently gripped the oil-stained binds. The fluid was seeping over his hands.

The girl stood in the darkness.

"I don't exactly remember, but there is something about a heart being the ultimate weapon…but that doesn't tie with this situation."

"The ultimate weapon?" Kopaka quirked.

"I just don't know." Gali dropped to her knees, pained to the fact that the real Kopaka, her Kopaka, might stay suspended in the air for eternity.

"Well, then. I thank you." Kopaka clapped his hands and started to rub them against each other.

Gali looked up at him. "Why?"

"The key is the ultimate weapon to open the lock, but what is my heart?" the boy touched his left side of his chest.

"..." Kopaka Nuva looked at him, eager to free himself.

It was quiet as the words lingered in the dark air. At last, Kopaka, the human, slapped his head.

"Of course! The Kyuubi is attached to my heart!" He waved his hand around. The outline of his fingers glowed ghastly white as the center of his palm glowed a bright iridescent light. Gasping the small orb of the energy, the albino revealed it to be the same round crystal that Gali had encountered in the fight with Tahu!

"Let hell freeze over," Kopaka grinned with great confidence. The jewel started to elongate into a key, purely made of crystal. The base of the key was carved like an old Akaku with the old fashion four-eyed mask. It was not just any traditional mask seen on earth, but a more technical type. The head of the key became a complete crystal-like ice, glowing a healthy white, as if purely made from a heart. The albino's heart to be exact.

"My memories have been chained. Let them be free. Here I shall open them with valor!"

He brought it outward towards the chained being and the light glowed. The black chains that bounded Kopaka Nuva shuddered and exploded into gleaming shards of ice.

The Toa of Ice collapsed on the dark floor, which soon transformed into a solid white floor, speckled with ice crystals and stalagmites. He struggled to get up, but a hand came to his view.

"Need a little help there, buddy?" Kopaka Nubanu grinned.

The toa nodded and grasped his hands.

Suddenly, memories began to flow between the two figures. Almost simultaneously, both of them grasp their heads and started to moan from the throbbing headache that the memories presented them…

* * *

"Tahu!" screamed Kopaka, "What in Mata-Nui! Are you doing!"

"I'm going to have my revenge, Kopaka." The other replied as he drew his sword towards the tentacle creature, which is undisturbed by the rage Tahu emitted.

"It doesn't matter! Tahu! Our comrades are dead and there's nothing we can do!"

"Kopaka! I am sick and tired of running away. I am a toa of no fear. It's about time we have to strike back." Tahu shouted as he pointed one of his swords at the monster.

"Tahu…" Kopaka felt his eyes stinging with helplessness as the swords ignited with fire.

"Go and get Gali away from here. I order you to do it." Tahu growled as he charged at the dark tentacle being.

"…" Kopaka said nothing as he turned his back and grasped Gali by the hand.

"Kopaka…Tahu…" Gali's eyes were filling up with tears.

"He will be fine." Kopaka bit his lips, unable to decide whether to leave Tahu, or to aid him. Despite the fact that he hated the Toa of Fire, there was an unbreakable bond between himself and that hothead.

At least he gave a sigh of despair and looked directly into Gali's eyes.

"Gali, listen to me. He might be right, or he might be wrong. But I'm going to keep him alive. If neither of us returned, run away and warn any Matoran that are left on this damned island."

Gali stared at him in horror.

"No…you can't die. None of you can die."

Kopaka glared at her. "I said I'm going to keep him alive."

"Kopaka…" Gali realize what he had meant. "You can't. Our unity…"

"Our unity had been broken long ago, Gali. The virtues no longer apply to this enemy. Remember that."

With those last words he spoke to Gali, he grasped his ice spear and walked steadily towards the fight scene.

Kopaka saw Tahu sprawled against a tree, struggling to get up. The silvery creature merely gurgled as several of its tentacles changed into several long spears. Then the spears launched themselves at the fallen toa.

Tahu only had the time to blink before he braced himself for the impact, which never came.

Kopaka never had the time to activate his Hau.

_I think too slow._ He scolded himself as he grasped the silvery rods that protruded from his chest. He eyed the dancing tentacle being before it disappeared into the ground.

Pain.

The pain was absolute. His entire body was at the mercy of pain.

Then the view of that familiar red Hau hovered over his dying figure. Those red eyes showed greater emotion than Kopaka had ever imagined. Eyes of fear, pain, sorrow, broken pride, and an odd sense of wisdom stared into his dimming blue eyes.

"Tahu…" Kopaka groaned as he felt his body slowly drifting towards the ground.

"Quiet, Kopaka." Tahu snapped, trying to hold back tears.

"…You were a great leader." He coughed, trying to smile for the last time.

"Stop it."

Kopaka had ignored him. Life was flashing before his eyes. Clutching the rods that protruded from his wounds, he remembered the very day he landed on Mata-Nui, the day he changed, and the day he took a visit to Metru-Nui. After all this, he knew that his time on Mata-Nui was over. Kopaka wondered if it was worth it to use his body as a shield. _Was it really worth it to protect them two?_

He knew that he would someday see his brethren again. He wished that he could just punch Tahu across his face for being such an asshole before the island was endangered. _That would have to wait._

His broken lens gazed over Gali, who was sobbing at the scene she had to burden. Taking Tahu's right hand with his bloodied ones, he gave his last breath.

"Kopaka! No!"

"…_Take care of her well."_ And he felt his soul slipping away into eternal darkness.

* * *

They just stood and stared at each other. Kopaka Nuva could feel a burden being lifted by an invisible hand. He could feel his body changing as the memories of the young child poured into his own. Memories of innocent times, as well as brave ones cleared away the mess his torture had created during his imprisonment of nearly sixteen years.

He stood up and stared at the pale, white hands. It was _his_ hands. White hair sprouted everywhere on his head, and he could feel his face soften. White clothed enveloped his well-defined body, followed by silvery pieces of armor.

The child of ice took a long look at him and just gaped.

"Oh my god. You look like me."

Kopaka Nuva's sharp blue eyes widen as he realized that Kopaka's childhood memories had done to him.

"I really do." He frowned.

The teenager just muttered.

"Who the hell thought of this stupid transformation?"

"…" Kopaka Nuva only shrugged.

Gali just stared. She walked slowly up towards Kopaka Nuva. The other Kopaka looked at her and stepped away.

Suddenly, Gali gave a airtight hug to Kopaka.

"…!" Kopaka silently gawked as Gali nearly burst into tears.

"Oh Mata-Nui…You don't know how much I missed you."

The toa said nothing as he gave a slight smile to his serious demeanor.

"How is Tahu?" Kopaka Nuva broke apart the hug.

Gali frowned and shook her head.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Kopaka…I died before him."

There was dead silence. Then Kopaka broke the silence with a small whistle.

"Haha…I guess that once Tahu remembers, he'll be in a world of hurt."

Gali looked at the albino in the pajamas.

"Hey Kopaka?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you know that I'm Gali from Mata-Nui?"

"Because I knew the Gali from my world. Judging by the personalities, you are not the Gali I once knew." He winked at the girl.

"But Tahu… does he know?"

"No. He'll understand if I tell-"

"No! Kopaka! Please…" Gali blurted out.

The two figures looked at her in puzzlement.

"I-I will tell him myself. Thank you," Gali nervously said.

Kopaka Nuva looked at her. "You like him, don't you?"

"What? Tahu Nu-"

"No. The boy."

Gali's eyes widen. _She, the ex-toa of Water, liking Tahu Nubava, a human?_

"No, I'm not. If I do, it would be well…odd."

"That would be kinda fucked up." Kopaka Nubanu cocked an eye.

"Fucked up?" Kopaka Nuva repeated in puzzlement.

"Uh…Erm…eh…" Kopaka looked at his partner.

"That sounds like a nice word. Fucked up."

Kopaka paled. "Uh…erm…Not really…"

"Not really? What does it mean?"

"You don't really wanna know."

There was a moment of silence before Kopaka Nuva broke into a small chuckle.

"I'm just kidding you."

"You know what it means?" Kopaka eyed the floating spirit.

"And acronym for 'Fortification Under the Consent of the King'? Yeah, I recently acquired that information from your memories."

"Oh god… you know everything from me?" Kopaka's pale skinned turned white with indescribable horror.

"Including the time when you wetted your pants watching Snow White and had to hold hands with Tahu? Yes. I know as much as you know me." The spirit stated in a-matter-of-factly.

Kopaka face faulted as Gali began to giggle.

"Oh my god…this is not cool. Not cool at all." Kopaka began to ruffle his hair in embarrassment.

Then the two toa laughed.

* * *

Gali woke up, remembering those words when she encountered the voice. _You'll have new friends. They will help you._

She looked out the illuminated glass door to see that it was morning. Looking out the window, Gali saw the familiar flaming blond hair and the flash of green as Lewa attempted to catch a squirrel that scampered up a large sycamore.

"My new friends…I understood what the voice meant."

"Tahu Nubava, Kopaka Nubanu…all of them…they're my new friends." She smiled at her first success of releasing Kopaka from his prison. But a pained heart had saddened her as she watched Tahu drinking his hot chocolate. She had an unexplained feeling about her new friend. His carefree attitude and thoughtful heart made Gali wished that her Tahu, Tahu Nuva, would be just like him.

Tahu turned towards the window that Gali is looking through and he smirked. Gali blushed as he waved.

* * *

_Just a day,  
Just an ordinary day.  
Just tryin to get by.  
Just a boy,  
Just an ordinary boy.  
But he was looking towards the sky._

- Vanessa Carlton

* * *

…fuck, I had made a Tahu/Kopaka moment. D:

I'm terrible.

Oh well.

:Runs off to play more KH2:


	10. Run Around

Sometimes I wonder whether or not this could go on.

* * *

Chains of Memories

Dragon of Courage

**White Fury**

* * *

It started out with the smell of sunny side eggs…Asian style. 

"Man, that smells good, Kopaka." Tahu sniffed as the smell wavered in the air.

Kopaka looked at him with his eyebrows cocked. He was decked out in black clothing and a white apron as he handled the sizzling pan.

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled.

Tahu pouted, puzzled by his friends reply.

"Something the matter?"

"Nope. Morning blues, that's all." Kopaka rubbed his temples. He could hear his other ego muttered "liar" in his head.

"Eh…" Tahu shrugged, putting on a new set of headphones he got from Pohatu. He sat on a high stool by the counter and rested his head on his right hand, which was leaning on the tabletop.

"Ya know. I think I have a crush."

"With Zara?" Kopaka's eyes shifted quickly from the pan to his friend's dreaming face.

"No. On Gali…but don't tell anyone." Tahu laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah. If Tanui find out, he's gonna eat you alive." The albino gave a huff and chucked the ready eggs onto a paper plate.

"Yeah…" The blond frowned as the plate slid towards him.

* * *

Then there's a bustling of people at the ski resort as skiers and snowboarders waddled out of the rental store, excited to try the white slopes. Tahu sat on a table near the window, watching the snow float by. Tahu and Kopaka were waiting for their friends to come out of the rental shop. 

Kopaka stood next to his friend, leaning on his ski equipment. His eyes showed that he was preoccupied with someone in his head.

_Oh come on, Tahu isn't that bad._

_...I don't trust him._

"Tahu?" Kopaka tapped his shoulder

"Hmm?" Tahu set his new headphones behind his ears and looked at Kopaka. Suddenly he nearly jumped back in surprise. _Whoa! There's two Kopakas…_

"Kopaka! And uh…Kopaka?" Tahu could recognize the albino in the ski clothes but the white one in the white cloak and using a high tech eyepiece implanted onto his right eye was not the Kopaka he knew.

"Tahu. Meet my alter-ego, Kopaka Nuva."

"Hi!" Tahu smiled innocently before he looked around the lodge, trying to believe that no one just saw a bizarre looking man that stood before him.

"Hello…" Kopaka Nuva coldly replied, examining the new visitor. He noticed the air of secrecy around Tahu, but he could not place it.

Tahu held his hand out, which greatly surprised the ex-Toa. He unfolded his arm and tried to shake hands with the boy, but his hand merely slipped through.

Immediately, Tahu's hand recoiled by the cold air he received from the Toa of Ice.

"Jesus. I didn't know spirits are cold." He shivered.

Kopaka Nuva only replied with a frown.

* * *

There were crunches of snow as skis and snowboards slammed onto the great mountain of Mammoth. Heavy lifts carried these people, professional and amateurs alike, up the great white mountain. Once an active volcano, Mammoth attracted people from all over California. On its slopes there were perilous trails and merely easy paths to ride down the hill. If Kopaka Nuva was here, he would deeply mistaken Mammoth as his mountain home, Mount Ihu, in which he sure did ask. 

"Is that Ihu?"

Kopaka Nubanu looked at him queerly.

"This a mountain."

"No. My home?" His mechanical right eye scanned his new partner. Temperature 97.8 degrees… Normal human temperature…98.6 degrees…

"This is Mammoth Mountain." Tahu smiled at the confused toa.

"I understand." The toa then nodded quietly to himself. Then he scanned Tahu. Temperature 99.5 degees…Normal human temperature…98.6 degrees…

"Your name, Tahu." He spoke. Tahu looked over at the toa calmly.

"Yeah, my name is Tahu. Tahu Nubava."

A mechanical click was emitted from the toa's eyepiece.

"You remind me of a comrade named Tahu. Tahu Nuva."

Tahu's friend nudged Tahu in the side, "Oh what a coincidence! Are you guys buddies?"

"No." Kopaka replied coldly, glaring at his partner.

"Ookaaay…" The other frowned.

Tahu squinted at the snow. "It looks soft. Let go have some fun!"

Grabbing his snowboard, he slung it around his shoulders and walked towards the ski lift. Kopaka followed suit with his skis.

They took a lift upwards towards the top of the perilous mountain. As Tahu batted the white snow from the bottom of his board, Kopaka examined the map.

"Let see… where should we go?"

"Well, the only route down to half the mountain is the double black diamond one," Tahu muttered.

They were quiet for a while. Kopaka Nuva's spirit rested peacefully inside the jewel.

"Tahu," Kopaka blandly spoke next to his companion.

"Hmm?" Tahu rubbed his cold cheeks.

"Are you brave enough?"

His friend replied with a grin.

* * *

There was a scream of excitement, soon followed by flying snow. Two blurs past about each other. Ignoring all signs of danger, they leaped off a rocky cliff and landed smoothly on the soft snow below. 

They skidded a couple feet away from their landing and stopped in a flurry of ice and snow.

"Shit, man! That was soo cool!" screamed Kopaka.

"Damn," Tahu scanned the cliffs, "That's pretty high. I can't believe that you actually convinced me to pull off a stunt like this."

"See? That's what happens when you work with DS."

Tahu shrugged. "I don't really have enough time for DS, really."

"Still, because of them, I've gotten some cool stuff."

"Like your new cell phone?" Tahu perked his eyebrow.

"Hell. The cell phone is the state of the art. Not only is the lid engraved with the symbol of DS, but it's a recognition that I am part of it."

"But the risks of being one of them…" Tahu trailed off, looking at the wonderful scenery beyond from where he stood.

"The risks are nothing compared to our ultimate goal."

"Don't tell me. To restore a chronicle that is once forgotten?" Tahu sighed with exasperation, lifting his black ski goggles from his eyes.

"I hear sarcasm, Tahu. The chronicle is a serious issue at Dai Sonzai."

"Kopaka, it doesn't even exist!"

"Then tell me why the spirit Kopaka is here, hmm?"

"…damn, you've got me there."

* * *

Somewhere among the shadows lay the infamous demons. These were not the same ones Kopaka and Tahu encountered near their homes, for they had dwelled on this mountain ever since the Sinner had committed suicide, the worst sin on the face of history. 

Sensing the presence of the Ones Worth Sacrifice, the leader's greedy yellow eyes shined, and it raised a spindly claw towards a direction.

The others gave a silent howl in desire and they proceed towards the direction of the boys.

* * *

"Hey Kopaka, did you hear something?" Tahu halted, spraying his friend with snow. 

"Hmm?" Kopaka pulled a Christie, his face emitting a pale blue color. His eyes examined the horizon and spotted something he didn't want to see.

"…Shit. It's them." Kopaka gazed fiercely at the writhing dark demons. The setting sun was absorbed completely by their dark coating. Their yellow slits blinked as they hissed at their delicate prey. The two boys had special abilities that made the monsters desire even more for them.

Tahu cursed quietly to himself for not bringing his sword. However, the two boys are very brave men. He turned his board downhill. "Time to…"

"RUN!" They both yelled at the same time, fleeing for their lives and screaming their heads off.

Sadly, their high-pitched screams had cause an upset to the side of the mountain. A chunk of rock chipped off a cliff and fell on the snowy ground. It rattled and shook. Bits of snow were just as disturbed as the rock. Like as the snow, so did the ice bed around the rock. They started slowly at the top, consuming the piece of rock. Then the power of gravity started to accelerate the intimidating flying mass of snow and dust. An avalanche is formed.

* * *

"You feel something?" Kopaka panted as they dodged the trees, avoiding the demons that were hot on their trails. 

Tahu also felt a low rumble coming behind them and he turned his head towards the new noise. His face paled.

"We're totally screwed."

Kopaka looked to see what had frightened his best friend and his body froze.

"Oh my -!"

His last word went unheard as he tripped over himself and slid down towards a rock. Scuffling the snow, Tahu cried in dismay.

"Kopaka!"

"Keep going Tahu!" He yelled as he tried to rip off his skis.

"But-!"

"Go. NOW!" The albino pointed down the mountain. Tahu frowned as he turned his snowboard once again and sped down the slopes.

Kopaka struggled to stand as he face the demons that were about to be engulfed by a flurry of ice and snow.

"You are pretty brave, my partner," a voice echoed through his brain.

"I'm just stupid," he grinned to himself. Grabbing the rock that stopped his fall, he steadied his body to withstand the snow that would soon engulf him. He saw a twinkle in the avalanche and realized how the white beast actually started.

"Did you see it too?" Kopaka Nuva appeared beside him.

"Yeah, I did," replied the other.

The figure soon disappeared in the avalanche.

* * *

To be honest, snowboarding was more difficult than surfing. Tahu had figured it out as he dodged trees and boulders to escape the roaring white fury that captured his friend. Thoughts ran through his head. Most of them were times he spent with Kopaka as a child… 

"Sensei!!! Why do I have to stick with that blond kid?" A young child with white hair and brilliant cool blue eyes whined at a tall black haired man.

"Kopaka, how many times do I have to tell you to QUIET?!"

The screaming nearly scared Tahu shitless, but Kopaka gave a huff and frowned.

"Sensei, I can do wherever I want to."

"Kopaka Nubanu, your disobedience has gotten you into too many troubles."

"I don't get it."

"Kopaka, fifty push ups, now."

The boy cross looked up at his martial arts teacher and stuck out his tongue. "How 'bout a hundred?"

"Done," their teacher crossed his arms and glared.

Kopaka realized what he did and smacked himself for being stupid. Under the teacher's eye, Kopaka got down and started to count.

An hour afterwards, their teacher got tired of watching and asked Tahu to watch for him. He nodded silently and watched his classmate struggling on seventy-six as the teacher walked away to take a break.

"You didn't have to get into trouble," Tahu looked down on the ground, trying to feel bad for the albino.

"I was…just…STUPID…I used…to get…away…with it," panted Kopaka as he raised his body to seventy-eight.

"Why would you challenge an older person?" Tahu asked.

"Because they all think I can't do anything." The seven-year-old slumped to the ground, exhausted. After a breath or two, he stood up, rolling his arms around.

"But I can. They're just not there to watch me," he glared at the direction of his teacher. Tahu stood quietly with his arms behind his back.

"Can I watch you? I'm a little bit older than you."

Kopaka turned towards his new classmate and smiled widely. "Sure!"

Making up his mind, Tahu turned his snowboard and slid to a halt. The avalanche continued its fall, approaching him fast. The air around him flickered with a red aura. His bright red eyes glared at the mass and he yelled.

"I AM WATCHING YOU KOPAKA!"

He braced himself for impact, but it never came. Tahu blinked again and realized that the avalanche stopped a few inches from his face. And everything was silent save for the occasion wind that howled though the ice and snow.

He looked closer and saw a bright pale blue light in the midst of the snow. Tahu realized who it is and laughed.

"Kopaka!"

The front of the frozen avalanche exploded, revealing the child of Ice holding a pair of katars with smoking ice tipped blades. He walked quietly without a word, which puzzled Tahu.

"Kopaka? Is something the matter?"

Kopaka approached him quietly and stared, exposing his pupil-less blue eyes. His face was oddly grim as he turned around and faced the frozen snow bed. With a flick of his new bladed weapon, the avalanche collapsed, deemed no longer a threat to him, Tahu, or the innocent people it may had endangered.

"Kopaka, answer me. Are you alright?" Tahu asked nervously. This isn't Kopaka, unless…

He had been possessed.

Soon the ice katars shattered and dissipated, and the albino fell to the ground moaning. Tahu quickly unbuckled his board, took of his gloves, and ran to his comrade's side. He stripped off Kopaka's ski mask and goggles and felt his neck for a pulse.

Kopaka's eyes opened, and he groaned as a wave of migraines smacked him like a ton of bricks.

"Hey! Kopaka! You've alive," Tahu grinned.

"Tahu, hands off me. I'm just fucking tired," Kopaka grumbled, batting away his buddy's hand.

"Hell, no." Tahu pouted as he took out a cell phone from his inner pocket, "I'm gonna call for help."

"Well…"

Kopaka replied as he pulled out his talisman. It glowed brilliantly as the two sides of Toa Kopaka's soul were finally melded together by the Trigger of Ice which Kopaka found in the avalanche. In order to maximize the power of ice, Kopaka Nuva had to partially possess his partner's body. In doing so, shit happened… in a good way.

"We did it."

* * *

_You run around  
I run around  
We're all gonna run run run around_

- Jason Radford

* * *

Well, after constant badgering of whether or not CoM's gonna be updated, I whooped this crap out of my ass. I hope you enjoy reading this. 


End file.
